


Finding You

by joshuaorrizonte



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Communication Failure, Kidnapping, Other, Teamwork, angsty asra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22060789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshuaorrizonte/pseuds/joshuaorrizonte
Summary: Three years after the end of Asra's route, Asra and the apprentice are living a peaceful life. They've decided that it's time for them to explore the magical realms together, with the help of their friends. But when the apprentice has a misunderstanding with Asra, they go to the Magician's realm alone to seek advice- and never come back...
Relationships: Apprentice/Asra (The Arcana)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work features my apprentice, Thomas. I considered making it gender neutral with no mention of a name, but I find that my writing is too awkward without a name to fall back on.

Asra smiled as he opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. He watched his lover, rubbing circles on the backs of his hands with his thumbs, as his breathing deepened and his eyes slid open. “That was fun,” Thomas said, smiling. 

“It was,” Asra agreed. “It was nice to go see the Magician without being in mortal danger.”

“Who’s next?”

Asra laughed. “Eager, aren’t you? We’ll go to the High Priestess’ realm next. Nadia asked me to bring her along when we go there, so we’ll go up to the palace. Tomorrow. It’s too late tonight.”

Thomas made a face. “I’m not ready to go to bed. You know going to the magical realms always energizes me.”

“Who said anything about going to bed?” Asra smirked, his eyes half-lidded. “At least, not in the sense that you’re thinking.”

“You’re incorrigible, you know that?” Despite the harsh words, Thomas was grinning, and Asra held out his arms to him. Thomas crawled over to him in the bed and into his arms. Asra enfolded him in an embrace, kissing him deeply. “I love you,” Asra whispered. 

The night passed slowly through their lazy lovemaking, and as always, Asra spent the night in awe of Thomas, of the fact that in spite of everything that had happened to them, Thomas had come back to him. He’d been acutely aware, since the moment he realized that resurrection had wiped Thomas’s memory, that there was a chance he’d never be with him again. It had hurt, but not nearly as badly as Thomas’s death had hurt. He could, and would, cope with it if Thomas never fell in love with him again. He was prepared for that to happen, even. 

Yet somehow, he had. Asra had taken their love for granted before; that wasn’t a mistake Asra would make again. He loved Thomas so much, and through some miracle, Thomas loved him again as well. He was determined to never take that for granted again. 

Daylight came too soon for Asra. They had agreed that they would keep the shop closed until their tour of the arcana’s realms were finished; the business had flourished since the crisis three years ago; they could afford to have an extended vacation, even if they weren’t actually going anywhere. They dressed and ate breakfast, talking happily between themselves, sharing what they both enjoyed most about the Magician’s realm. Asra had enjoyed discussing magic theory with the Magician while Thomas had gone off, exploring. Asra implied that there were some less than innocent things discussed, intriguing Thomas. “I didn’t think they’d be interested in such things.”

“ _They_ aren’t, no. But they are the communicator of knowledge and they asked if there was anything in particular that I was interested in.”

“Teach me?”

“Let’s see if I can actually do these things first. This is high level magic, even for me.”

“Now I’m really interested. What did they teach you, exactly?”

“I’ll show you tonight. For now, we should get to the palace. We told Nadia we’d be there by lunch.”

Thomas had nothing to say to that; he was excited to see what Asra had up his sleeve, but he could certainly wait until night to discover it. Asra had a talent for making sure being his lover was never boring. 

It was nearly noon by the time the two of them arrived at the palace; the guards, used to seeing them coming and going, let them past without more than a word of greeting. They made their way to the salon that Nadia usually greeted them at, and sat down to wait. It wasn’t long before Portia came to them, Nadia on her heels. Asra and Thomas stood and embraced the women; “Did the guards send a messenger to tell you we were here?” Asra asked curiously. 

Portia shook her head. “Your parents have me practicing sensing magic, and you two practically bleed magic. I could tell you were here just by looking for magic in the area.”

“Your magic abilities are getting so advanced,” Asra praised. “You should tell them about being able to sense us. They might move on to higher level learning.”

“Flatterer,” Portia teased, winking at him. “I was going to bring you lunch anyway, you know.”

“Lunch does sound good,” Nadia interjected, smiling. “Do you think you could retrieve Julian and the Alnazars as well as lunch?”

"Absolutely! I'll be right back."

As Portia left the room, Nadia turned her attention to Asra and Thomas. "I cannot tell you how excited I am to do this," she said, smiling. "I used to be able to go to the High Priestess's realm at will. It is my hope that I can regain the ability to travel there. You said that the place I went that leads to that realm is called a gate, Asra?"

Asra nodded. "It sounds like it- a magician's gate. If you have one, let alone access to it, you're more talented in magic than you thought. If being able to go back and forth from there at will is what you want, then I can absolutely help you with that. I'll teach you how to go there today and let you guide us to the High Priestess's realm."

A flicker of doubt crossed Nadia's features. "Is that wise? I haven't been able to access this gate since I was very young."

"If you were able to get to it before, teaching you how to get to it now should be easy. And I'll be right there the whole time in the very unlikely event that we get into trouble." Asra shifted. "And then we can work on Thomas's gate."

Thomas lit up. "Really? _Finally_. It's only been three years since you showed me yours."

Asra's face colored a bit. "Yes, well... The opportunity never presented itself. If I'm teaching Nadia then there's no reason not to teach you as well. You'll just have to wait a bit to put what you learn into action."

"That's fine." Thomas sat back, looking pleased. Asra smiled at him, thankful for his enthusiasm. Thomas still didn't know how much he kept Asra going, mostly because Asra's motivation wasn't Thomas's problem. But everything seemed easier to actually do when Thomas was enthusiastic about it. He couldn't bear to disappoint him.

Portia arrived back with Julian and Asra's parents, as well as a tray filled with food and drink. The six of them sat and ate, talking animatedly about their lives and projects. Julian was especially enthusiastic. "And I think I'm ready to take on another apprentice," he announced after he finished describing his efforts at establishing a hospital modeled after the ones in Prakra. "That is, unless Thomas wants to apprentice to me again."

Thomas looked up sharply. “Say what now?”

Julian looked startled, then understanding crossed his features. “That’s right, you wouldn’t remember that. You were apprenticed to me before you died of the plague. That was one of the memories I got back when I was hung.”

Thomas stared at him, mouth agape. He finally turned to Asra. “Did you know this?”

“Of course I did,” Asra replied, sounding confused. “That was the whole reason you stayed in Vesuvia.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell _me_ this?”

Understanding dawned in Asra’s eyes. “I didn’t think it was relevant anymore, and it just- it just never came up. I-“

“After everything, you’re still withholding information from me?”

Asra’s concerned look dropped away to surprise. “That’s not why-“

“It’s my life, Asra! You don’t get to decide what parts of it are relevant!”

“But-“

Thomas stood. “I need to go blow off steam,” he muttered. “Excuse me.”

Asra stood as well, crying Thomas’s name, reaching for him as he left the parlor. “I suggest not following him,” Salim said hastily, grabbing Asra’s wrist to halt him. 

Salim’s grip on him was loose, but Asra didn’t pull away, just watched Thomas flee the room and disappear down the hallway. “That’s not why I never told you that,” Asra whispered, pained. 

There was silence in the parlor. “Why _didn’t_ you ever tell him that?” Julian asked, pure curiosity in his voice.

“It just never came up,” Asra replied, sounding a bit overwhelmed, “and he implied that he was alright with his missing memories now. If I’d known it was that important to him I would’ve told him.” Asra sighed, sitting with his face in his hands. “I’m not withholding information from him,” he said, almost defensively. “Not anymore. There’s no need to.”

“If I may,” Aisha said softly, “it sounds like this is a sore spot with him. You two need to talk about it. After he’s calmed down, of course.”

Asra nodded, still not looking up. “Do you want me to help you open your gate, Nadia?” he asked. 

Nadia shook her head. “I think I’d prefer it if you resolved this issue with Thomas first. I had my heart set on going with the both of you, to be frank. I don't think it'll be as much fun as it would be with the both of you."

Asra nodded again, looking up. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'm going to let him do as he said he was going to and blow off steam. I'm not sure he wants me around right now." He sighed. "But this is a problem. What else would he consider important enough for me to mention?"

Julian looked thoughtful. “Have you ever just sat him down and talked about his life before his death?”

“No. Like I said, he said he was fine with not having his memory. I thought he’d be content with making new ones.”

“Did he actually say that?”

“Asra just said he did,” Portia interjected. “Maybe he’s not as okay as he said he is. That’s not your fault and he’s got no right taking it out on you.”

Asra and Julian exchanged a look. "This is a little different," Julian said softly. "Asra and I have a... a history, that Thomas is aware of. I'm not saying that it _is_ stemming from this but there's a possibility that Asra not mentioning this information could be construed as jealousy or something similar."

"That's ridiculous," Portia said, bewildered.

"It might not be, from his perspective," Asra replied. "For all he knew, I never brought it up because I don't want them working together. Which isn't the case, but I'm willing to bet that's what Thomas thinks." Asra gave a little smile. "I actually think apprenticing to Ilya again would be good for him. He'll have to start from scratch but he was so enthusiastic about learning medicine before he died."

"That's what I remember, as well," Julian said. "You should encourage him to come talk to me when you discuss this. I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't willing to start from scratch with him. He was talented."

"He _is_ talented." Asra sighed, running his hands through his hair, and then standing. "I think I'm going to go get some pumpkin bread and kill some time in the marketplace, if Nadi doesn't want to try to get to her gate. Sorry about this."

"You've done nothing wrong," Salim said. "Fights happen. I think you've got a good understanding of what went wrong there. I'm sure he'll listen to you once he's had time to calm down."

"I'm sure you're right. I still feel bad about it, and I probably will until I've cleared the air." He managed a smile. "We'll be back tomorrow, I'm sure."

"You'll be welcome, as always," Nadia said, standing and moving to embrace him. Asra returned the hug, then hugged his parents as they came up to him. "Good luck, Asra," Nadia said.

Asra waved to them, and took his leave of them, trying not to feel sorry for himself. This was a miscommunication. He'd tell Thomas that he was under the impression that Thomas was fine with the blank spots in his memory, and that they needed to talk about what else Thomas would want to know. He was certain that hearing that Asra was okay with- and wanted to encourage, even- Thomas working with Julian would smooth over Thomas's frayed nerves. 

He was calm by the time he reached the marketplace, stopping at Selasi's booth to get a loaf of bread for them to share, and started for home. He found the shop's door locked and warded; that was strange. They never warded the door if the other was out. Was he being kicked out?

The thought came and went with a smirk. “Don’t be ridiculous, Alnazar,” Asra muttered to himself, unlocking the door and releasing the ward. If Thomas hadn’t wanted him there, he’d have picked a ward other than the one they commonly used. There was another reason why Thomas had locked himself in. Maybe he’d had a run-in on his way home. 

Asra locked and warded the door behind him as he entered, calling Thomas’s name very softly. No answer. He summoned a light to the palm of his hand as Faust peeked out from his shirt. _Friend okay?_ she asked as he ascended the stairs. 

“I’m sure he’s okay,” Asra replied, sounding far more confident than he was. He had such a bad feeling. 

He looked around the dark room as he ascended from the stairs, saw Thomas lying on the bed they shared. “Thomas?” he called softly, approaching with light, soft footsteps. Thomas didn’t stir. 

Asra sat on the side of the bed, laying a gentle hand on Thomas’s chest. As he felt it rise and fall with Thomas’s easy breath, he began to relax. “Just asleep,” he murmured. 

_No._

“What?”

 _Travel._ Faust wound her way around the arm that was reaching for Thomas, tongue flicking in concern. Confused, Asra reached out to Thomas with his magic, and almost startled as he sensed that Faust was right. Thomas was in the magical realms. “Where did you-?” he whispered, drawing his hand away slightly. 

Then he stood, encouraging Faust to slither off of him as he stripped for bed. For all he knew, Thomas had simply gone to the Magician for advice, if he thought Asra’s omission was borne of jealousy or possessiveness. He would just have to be there when Thomas returned. Asra climbed into a pair of comfortable fleece pants and climbed into bed beside his lover. He wouldn’t sleep until Thomas came back, but he could hold him until he did.

Asra kept time from the shadows the moonlight cast in the dark room. An hour passed, then two, and then three; Asra valiantly fought sleep, but succumbed to it around the fifth hour. Sunlight streaming in the window woke him, and after a brief moment of sleepy confusion, he snapped awake. 

Thomas was still unconscious. Asra fought down panic, reaching out again with his magic, praying Thomas was simply asleep. 

“No,” he murmured as he felt that Thomas was still gone. “Faust!” he called as he stood and hastily began to dress. 

_Asra?_ came Faust’s sleepy reply, lifting her head from where she was curled up at the foot of the bed. Asra didn’t need to tell her what was wrong. After a moment, she murmured plaintively, _Friend..._

“Get Muriel. We need help.”

_Yes!_

As Faust sprinted to the window and wound her way down to the street, Asra finished dressing and sat at the edge of the bed, wracking his brain for anything he could do to bring him back. He started trying different things, each more outlandish and anxious than the last, but nothing worked. 

After what felt like forever, Asra heard the door downstairs open and close, and Muriel’s gravelly voice call his name. “Here! We’re up here!” Asra called back. He heard Muriel’s heavy footsteps on the stairs, and then Muriel was there, a questioning look on his face. “I can’t wake him up,” Asra explained, wringing his hands. “He went to the magical realms last night for some reason and I can’t bring him back.”

“What do you expect me to do about it?” Despite his harsh words, Asra could hear the concern in his voice as he came over to them.

“I don’t know. I don’t- I thought a fresh set of eyes could help. Can you tell where he is?”

Muriel leaned over Thomas, and Asra could feel Muriel’s magic, solid and gentle, wash over him. After a moment, he said, “I can’t tell, either. It feels like something is restraining him, though. Can you go in after him?”

Asra wrung his hands. “I don’t know. Do you think there’s a physical problem?”

“I don’t know,” Muriel repeated, looking over at him. “Julian?” 

“Yes. And my parents will be able to help, too. I need to get him to the palace.”

“I’ll carry him,” Muriel said, bundling Thomas up in the blankets. “Do you think I’ll fit in a carriage?”

“We have to try. It’s too far for you to carry a grown man all the way there.” Asra ran his hands through his hair as he stood, and Muriel picked Thomas up, cradling him so gently in his arms. Asra led the way out of the shop. “Come on. If we hurry we shouldn’t have to wait for a carriage for very long.”


	2. Chapter 2

The carriage driver they flagged down took one look at Thomas, cradled in Muriel's arms, asked where they needed to go, and as soon as they were piled in the carriage and the words were out of Asra's mouth, the carriage shot off like a flying machine. The carriage driver didn't even seem to want to slow for pedestrians, and there were a lot of them in the morning; "Going to see Doctor Devorak?" the carriage driver called back to them as they traveled.

"Yes."

"What's wrong with 'im?"

"I don't know," Asra answered, and it was only half a lie. "I can't wake him up."

"It'll be alright," the carriage driver said reassuringly. "That Doctor Devorak is good at what he does. He'll have 'im up and at'em in no time."

Muriel snorted, staring out the window as the scenery flew by. Asra suppressed the urge to tell the man that he knew Doctor Devorak personally, knew what he could do. He didn't feel like making small talk. "Has he stirred at all?" he asked Muriel instead.

"No. He's unconscious. Asra... there's nothing we can do about it at this point, not until we get him to the palace and get him looked at. Hopefully there's a physical barrier keeping him unconscious, but if there isn't, that's one thing we can rule out. If you need to go into the magical realms after him, I'll go with you. We'll figure this out."

"I hope you're right." Asra turned to stare out the window, and Muriel watched him for several seconds before sighing and resuming his own watching.

They were at the palace in only fifteen minutes, a record, as far as Asra could tell. Asra thanked him as the carriage rolled to a stop; Asra was out of it before it had completely come to a halt, running up to the guards, urgently explaining the situation to them as Muriel carefully carried Thomas out of the carriage. The guards opened the gate to the palace before Asra was finished with his explanation. "The Doctor should be having breakfast with the Countess," one of them said. "You know where they usually eat in the morning, don't you?"

"Yes. The Countess's veranda. Are our rooms able to be used at the moment?"

The guards exchanged a look. "I don't know," Ludovico said, "you'd have to ask Portia or the chamberlain, or you can go straight there to get him settled in bed."

"No," Muriel said, lumbering up with Thomas in his arms. "We go straight to the doctor."

"To the veranda with you, then," Bludmila said, casting a concerned look at Thomas's limp body. "Good luck."

"I'll run ahead and get him," Asra said, and took off. Muriel watched him go for several seconds before starting to move as well, careful not to jostle Thomas too much.

Muriel was three quarters of the way to the veranda when Asra returned, running to him with Julian on his heels and, behind him, Nadia and Portia. Julian ran right up to them as Muriel lowered his hold on Thomas to let Julian see him. "My quarters are closer," Julian said in a terse voice, after glancing over Thomas. "Come, follow me, quickly now."

They followed him down the hallway to one of the rooms near Nadia's. Julian opened the door and moved aside to let the group through. "Put him on the bed," Julian ordered. Muriel obeyed, then stood away, off to the side, as Asra sat on one side of the bed next to Thomas and Julian knelt on the other side. They all waited, barely breathing, as Julian examined Thomas, pulling his eyes open and staring into them before letting them fall closed again. "You say you think he's- uh- he's in the magical realms?" he asked.

"Yes," Asra said in a tight voice. "I was hoping you could tell us if there's a physical reason for him to be unable to come back."

"There isn't one that I can see, just by looking at him. You better get your parents."

Asra shook his head, looking up. "Portia-"

"I'm on it!" Portia took her leave of them, darting out of the room and down the hallway.

Meanwhile, Julian asked, "How long has he been in this state?"

"He was like this when I got home last night. I didn't think anything of it until I woke up this morning and he was still unconscious."

"Does he often go to the magical realms for extended periods of time?"

"This is the first time he's _ever_ done it alone, that I know of."

"So that's a no."

"That's a no."

Julian turned his gaze back to Thomas's still form. "He shouldn't be in any danger- _yet._ If we can't wake him soon, though, he will begin to dehydrate and starve. I've never treated a coma victim before. I'm not sure how to do it, but I do know we need to figure out how to get him liquid, at least."

“When I- when I brought him back, he was unconscious for about a week. I used honey mixed with water and sort of drizzled it into his mouth.”

“That could work,” Julian said. As he did so, the door to his room burst open and Portia, Aisha, and Salim piled in. 

“Portia gave us a basic idea of what’s going on,” Salim said, as Aisha went to the bed and dropped onto it next to Julian, stretching her magic over Thomas, “but I think we better hear it from you.”

Quickly, Asra explained what he had come home to, and that he’d realized something was wrong when he woke and Thomas was still gone, and nothing Asra did could pull Thomas back. Salim joined Aisha in her examination, and they waited for several minutes with bated breath until Aisha shook her head. “Something is preventing him from coming back, that much is clear,” she said. “But we can’t tell what it is, either. Were you able to tell where he went? We might be able to trace his steps.”

Asra shook his head. “I assumed he went to the Magician. He’s only ever been there, the Devil’s realm, and my gate. He wouldn’t return to the Devil’s realm and I’d know if he was in my gate.”

“We could try going to the Magician’s realm ourselves,” Salim offered. 

Asra opened his mouth to respond when he felt a tug on his consciousness. It took him a moment to realize it was coming from his tarot deck. He pulled it from his bag, one of the cards practically leaping in his hands. “The Magician...” His words trailed off as he focused on the card. “They want me to go to them,” he said finally, looking up. “I got a sense of urgency from them.”

“We will go with you,” Aisha said, as Salim sat on the bed beside Asra. 

“I’m going to go research how to care for people in a coma,” Julian said, an unusual seriousness in his face. “Pasha, will you come get me when they return?”

“Of course,” Portia replied.

“I will assist in your search, Julian,” Nadia said, staring Thomas as she spoke. She gazed at him for several more seconds before saying, “I can’t sit around with everyone else doing something useful.”

Muriel settled into a chair by the desk against the wall. “Asra, you better hurry if the Magician says it’s urgent that you speak to them,” he said. 

Asra nodded, reaching for his parents’ hands. They took them, and as Julian and Nadia left the room, Asra closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He felt his parents’ magic, bright and soothing, merging with his own, as they sank away from reality. 

In the next moment, Asra opened his eyes to his gateway. “The pool to the Magician’s realm is over there,” he said, guiding his parents over to it.

“Alright, first question,” Salim said, following with Aisha. “If you need to go through your gate to get to other realms, and Thomas doesn’t have access to his gate, how do you suppose he got to the Magician without you?”

They reached the pool as Asra spoke. “You know he’s much more powerful than I am. He was able to get to the realms without a gate during the Masquerade three years ago. And we got to the Devil’s realm without going through my gate, too.”

“This is true,” Aisha said. “You know there are ways directly into the realms, my love.”

“I suppose going through a gate would just be safer,” Salim mused, as Asra waded into the water. Aisha and Salim followed, and soon the three of them washed up on the shores of the Magician’s realm.

Asra picked himself up and summoned a warm breeze to dry them from being in the sparkling sea, then, after a quick inventory of everyone, started walking up the beach to the palm trees that hid the Magician’s home.

The Magician emerged from a disturbance in the air. “Asra. I’ve been trying to reach you since last night. What’s going on?”

Asra blinked. “We were hoping you’d be able to answer that. Thomas seems to be in a magical coma. We can’t wake him. And why would you be unable to reach me?”

The Magician shook their head. “I’m afraid something’s happened to Thomas, and whoever’s behind it is interfering with you, too.”

“Then he did come here last night.”

“He did. You know why, don’t you?”

“Does it matter why at this point?”

The Magician inclined his head. “For what it’s worth, my advice to him was to speak to you directly about his concerns, and that I didn’t think your omission had been nefarious. He said that he would, thanked me, tried to leave- but something, or someone, interfered. It happened fast enough that I couldn’t identify the culprit, but I had the feeling that he hadn’t been able to return. I still sensed him in the realms, I just couldn’t pinpoint _where._ That’s when I reached out to you- and my magic was blocked.”

Asra turned to his parents, eyes wide. "Who would-" he started. As they shook their heads, confusion written on their faces, he turned back to the Magician. "Do you have any idea who would do this?" he asked them.

"I do not, but I don't think I need to tell you that whoever did it has bad intentions."

"Where do we even begin to look for him?"

"I can't tell you that, either. You might have some luck trying to trace his magic."

"We've been doing that," Salim said. "We can't tell where he is from that."

"That is unfortunate." They grimaced. "There's something you need to be aware about. This is more than just someone kidnapping your lover, Asra. When you bargained with the Devil for a new body for Thomas, did you ever wonder _where_ that body came from?"

Bewildered, Asra shook his head. "No, I didn't. I didn't care where it came from, as long as he got it."

"It was the Fool's body." Asra's eyes widened and he gasped in surprise. "You see where I'm going with this. Thomas is much more than just an extraordinarily talented magician now. He is both human and Arcana at the same time, and I fear that whoever did this specifically wants his power. For what, I don't know, but something sinister is going on, of that much I'm sure. You need to figure out a way to find him."

Asra, still shocked, turned to his parents. They looked on in surprise. "That explains a lot, actually," Salim said. "So, do you have any idea how we could go about looking for him, Asra?"

Asra frowned, started to shake his head, then stopped. "Wait. I have a compass- one that shows you the direction to what you want most. I want to find Thomas more than anything right now. That might be our best bet." He sighed then. "But it's back at the shop. I-"

"Aruff!"

The sound of the dog barking startled all of them but the Magician, and the three humans turned to see a little figure bounding over a dune towards them. "Scout!" Asra exclaimed, eyes widening, then looking from the dog-headed figure to the Magician and back. "That's right. You were able to bring me my compass before. Can you do it again?"

"Ruff!" With that, the dog turned and ran back to the dunes, and Aisha said, blinking slowly, "You certainly have strange friends, Asra. Who- who is that?"

"That is Scout," the Magician answered. "Protector of the lost and traveling. He helped Asra and Thomas find you, in fact, I believe."

"Well, he gave me the compass," Asra clarified. "If he can do it again- but _how_ is he doing it? I'd lost the compass years prior to that, so I didn't question it then, but now? I know exactly where it is. It isn't lost. Is he really going to-?"

"Let's find out," the Magician said with a wink, as Scout bounded back to them. Sure enough, the compass was in Scout's mouth, as it had been years before, as he dropped it at Asra's feet. As Asra stooped to pick it up, the Magician said, "As for how, let's just say it's magic and leave it at that."

“Even magic has explanations. I-“

“We can question it later, if you feel the need to,” Aisha cut him off. “We shouldn’t waste any time- but we should also let the others know what’s happening. They might have an idea for us.”

“I agree with your mother,” Salim said. “We need to go back and tell the others what we’re doing before we do anything else.”

Asra nodded, clutching the compass. He put it in his bag, then extended his hands to his parents. “Lets go explain what we know, then.”


	3. Chapter 3

In the next moment, Asra opened his eyes. Muriel saw it before he stirred, and said, “Portia, go get the others.”

“Yes!” She cast a curious, concerned look at them as they awakened, but flitted out of the room without further comment.

Muriel came over to Asra. “Are you alright?”

“No, not really. He’s probably been kidnapped.”

“What do you-“

“I’ll explain everything once Nadi and Ilya and Portia are back,” Asra cut him off. Muriel shifted discontentedly, but didn’t push. 

In minutes, Portia returned with Nadia and Julian in-tow, and all attention turned to Asra. With a deep breath, he began to tell them what the Magician told him, about the interference they’d felt when Thomas had tried to leave, and then again as they tried to get in touch with Asra to warn him. He ended his tale with Scout’s appearance, and the golden compass. 

“Will you, uh, will you still have that compass when you go back?” Julian asked. “You don’t have it on you now, do you?”

Asra reached into his bag and felt around for the compass. He startled as his fingers found and closed around it, drawing it out of his bag. “That shouldn’t be possible,” he murmured. 

Uncomfortably, Julian asked, “Is that thing safe to use, then?”

In answer, Asra looked down at the compass, the needle wobbling steadily at Thomas’s still form. “It should be safe,” Asra said. “This isn’t the first time Scout has- wait.”

“What is it?” Portia asked, leaning over Asra’s shoulder to see. “Wait, if it points to your heart’s desire then why is it pointing to the door?”

“I don’t know,” Asra replied, gaze flicking from the compass to the door and back several times. “I don’t want to leave Thomas,” he muttered, “but...” He bit his lip, the gears in his head still turning. 

Finally he stood, and made his way to the door. “Nadi, would you come with me?” he asked. 

“Absolutely,” Nadia replied, and together, the two of them followed the compass through the halls of the palace. Asra had no idea where it was taking them; after a few minutes of walking, he asked, "Do you recognize the path we're on?"

Nadia seemed disturbed. "Could we be going to the dungeons?"

"Wait, the dungeons where Valdemar-"

"No. There were dungeons that the count before Lucio had installed for any criminals that House Vesuvia themselves arrested. It's been unused since Lucio became count because- well- he simply had all criminals that he had arrested taken to the coliseum. But we needed someplace to put the courtiers after their treason was revealed three years ago, and they've been there since." Nadia glanced at him as they walked. "Yes, I'm sure that is where your compass is guiding us. But why would we need to speak to them? Didn't you tell me that their supernatural powers were lost when they drank Thomas's blood at the Masquerade?"

"That's what I believed," Asra replied, disturbed. "From what they told me, their deals with the Devil were broken at the same time as we were freed from the ritual."

Nadia shook her head. "I still can't believe what they told us in the aftermath. That they told us all that _willingly_."

Asra shot her a grin. "It wasn't quite willingly. I've been told I can be frightening in the right situations."

"You threatened them and they believed that you would follow through on your threats if they didn't talk?" Asra nodded, and Nadia made a humming noise. "How do you know they didn't simply tell you what they thought you wanted to hear?"

"That's what I'm thinking happened now, if they're involved in this. But if that's the case- why wait three years to make their move?"

"Lack of opportunity? You and Thomas always traversed the magical realms together before. I'm under the impression that this is the first time he's been alone in the realms. Perhaps they were simply biding their time."

Asra glanced down at his compass, his face grim. "Yes, well, we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

"Indeed."

The pair walked in silence after that, Nadia leading them, Asra trailing behind, ready to tell her if the compass was directing them somewhere else. That warning never came, and the pair descended the stairs to the dungeon, walking briskly. "I want to see the prisoners," Nadia told the guard. 

"Of course, Milady, right this way."

Asra pocketed the compass as the guard led them through a hallway of prison cells, moving to the very back of the basement. The guard stopped short as they reached the last four cells; "Uh..."

"What? What is it?" Nadia demanded sharply.

"They're- they're not here-"

"They're not here? What do you mean, they're not here?" Without waiting for an answer, Nadia pushed past the guard, and looked right and then left at the cells on either side of her. Asra came to stand beside her, looking for himself; all four cells were empty. Nadia turned on her heel, glowering with all of her might. "Where are they?" she demanded.

"I- I don't know! I don't- they were here last night when we bought them dinner! I- I've been standing guard all night, Milady, I swear no one's been past-"

"I think they're telling the truth, Nadi," Asra cut them off. "Look. Their cells are still closed and locked."

Nadia turned to him. "Then where are they?"

"I don't know. It's- it's possible they're in the magical realms. It's possible to bring one's physical body into the realms. Lucio did it, that's what got him killed, ultimately. But it is insanely foolish to do so, if you can in any way help it. As I told Thomas, no magician in their right mind would risk soul _and_ body like that."

"Do you think they're behind Thomas's abduction?" 

"I don't think it's a coincidence that they're gone at the same time as Thomas's abduction, at any rate."

Nadia nodded, turned, and strode out of the dungeons. Asra scrambled to keep up with her as she walked purposefully back through the palace, to Julian's room. Once they were back, everyone looked at them expectantly. "We discovered the courtiers missing," she announced, "and they went missing sometime in the night. The fact that the guard neither saw nor heard anything, and their cells haven't been tampered with, has led Asra to believe that they're in the magical realms." She paused to catch her breath. "Neither of us believes that this is a coincidence."

"Why would they want to kidnap Thomas like that?" Portia asked, putting a hand to her mouth.

"We don't know," Asra said grimly, "but I'm not going to leave him at their mercy. I'm going back in after them."

"I will go, as well," Muriel said, and Asra's parents murmured their agreement.

Nadia waited for silence, then said, "We will take Thomas to my contemplation tower. It is more secure than Julian's quarters, and there's less of a chance that you'll be disturbed there. Muriel, can you carry him?"

Muriel grunted his agreement, scooping Thomas up into his arms again and waiting for Nadia to move. She turned and led the way to her quarters, the group trailing behind her. She brushed aside a tapestry, revealing a keyhole. She produced the key and inserted it into the hold and turned, and the wall swung open, revealing a set of marble stairs, and stood aside. "After you," she said, and the group filed up the stairs.

Asra's gaze flicked around as he emerged into a large chamber. Pillows and cushions littered the floor, and a fountain ran into a pool in the center of the room. It was beautiful, and quiet. Perfect for traveling to the magical realms. Muriel settled Thomas down on the floor as the others filed in, Nadia bringing up the rear. "I will ensure that you are not disturbed," she said, Asra, Muriel, and his parents settled on pillows around the fountain. "Julian, monitor Thomas's condition. If anything changes, come get me immediately."

"What about me, Milady?" Portia asked, wringing her hands.

Nadia nodded to her. "You will help me direct a manhunt for the missing courtiers. If they simply broke out of prison, we need to find them. Asra and the others would be going into the magical realms even if the courtiers aren't there, but we still need to rule out the mundane. Asra, how will we be able to wake you if we need to?"

Asra closed his eyes, washing Nadia over with his magic. When he opened them, a silvery cord shimmered from one of his wrists to her's, glittering in the dim light of the room before fading completely. "See if you can use your magic to sense that cord." Nadia gave him a look, but focused on her wrist.

After a moment, she said, "I can see it."

"If you need us to come back, give that a tug. I'll feel it and bring us back."

"Alright." Nadia looked up again, taking a deep breath. "I won't call you if we find the courtiers, because you need to find Thomas whether they're here or in the magical realms. Last resort only."

"That's fine." Asra looked around the room. "Is everyone ready?" All at once, the others murmured their agreement, and Asra closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic to his parents and Muriel. They reached back, and Asra focused on reaching his oasis. He felt a sinking sensation, familiar and almost comforting, and in minutes he felt the gentle breeze of his gate, and opened his eyes. The others were with him, and Muriel looked around, curiosity on his face. 

Asra let him look around for a moment before pulling the compass out of his bag again. The needle spun wildly for a few seconds, then slowed until it settled, pointing to their right. "I think it's going to take us back to the Magician's realm," Asra said, looking up. "Well, let's go."

The four of them started walking, and soon came to the pool that would take them to the Magician's realm. Asra waded in without any hesitation, his parents close behind him. Muriel did hesitate for several moments, but he too waded into the water. Satisfied that all of them were with him, Asra submerged himself, let himself be carried away into the great sea by the Magician's realm. He washed up first, then Muriel, and then his parents. As they all stood, Salim's magic washed over them, drying them from their excursion in the water.

"Is the compass pointing in any particular direction?" Aisha asked, as Salim dried them off.

"Yes," Asra said, nodding, "it's pointing up the beach, as it did when we were here the first time. Let's go get this over with. I want him back." Without waiting for them to respond, Asra started walking. He heard them fall into step behind them, and he led them up the beach, into a wooded area. The compass needle steadily pointed the way forward, barely moving as they walked. 

"This reminds me a bit too much of the haunted woods in our gate," Salim said, his voice hushed.

"Well, we're definitely not in your gate," Asra answered, not taking his eyes off the path in front of them. "I'm not even sure we're still in the Magician's realm. I'm definitely not sure where we are."

No one said anything in response to that. Asra led the way in silence, glancing down at the compass every few seconds to be sure they didn't stray off the path it wanted them to take. They finally came to a fork in the path, both leading in the same direction, but one following high ground and the other sinking down past a large drop in the forest floor. Asra started to lead them onto the upper path, and then stopped, and retraced his steps. "Asra?" Muriel prompted.

"The compass wants us on the low path," Asra answered, not breaking his stride. No one said anything, simply following Asra onto the lower path. Aisha and Salim exchanged nervous glances when they realized the path was leading them into an ever-deepening ditch.

Asra finally stopped as they seemed to come to the edge of the path, and looked up. Before them was a huge, hollow tree trunk, large enough for even Muriel to be able to navigate it with ease. Asra still hesitated; the entrance to the trunk was covered in spider webs. "Are we going in there?" Salim asked, coming to stand beside him. 

Asra looked down at the compass, then back up at the tree. "If we're still following this thing, then yes, we're going in there," he answered finally. "I don't know where else to go, but... I really don't want to go in there. The compass doesn't tell us how dangerous something is going to be or how to avoid or handle that danger."

"Do you think spiders made those webs?" Muriel asked, pointing.

"Don't know what else could've."

"Can you imagine how big those spiders must be?" Aisha murmured.

"We're just going to have to hope we don't encounter any," Muriel said, eyeing the entrance of the tree trunk.

"I'd be more worried about faeries, to be honest," Asra said, summoning a light to his hand and raising it high as he entered the log.

"Faeries?" Salim asked. "What makes you think there are faeries around here?"

"It just seems like the kind of place faeries would hang out."

After a few more seconds, Aisha and Muriel followed them into the trunk, Aisha making her own light to light their path. Asra kept his eyes on the path in front of him, putting the compass in his bag. If there were gigantic spiders in here, he wanted his hands free to deal with them. With that thought, he took a deep breath, and plunged into the darkness, his companions trailing along behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

The group walked in silence for a number of minutes, Asra and Aisha’s lights the only light on their path. They brushed aside spiderwebs that hung down from the ceiling of the tree trunk as they walked. “This thing is massive,” Salim said, his voice hushed. Then: “We better hope there’s nothing hostile in here. There’s no way we’d be able to defend ourselves like this.”

Asra closed his eyes, his magic flickering out through the tunnel. “I don’t sense anything hostile,” he said finally. “I do sense things that want to be left alone, though. With any luck we’ll be out of here without crossing paths with anyone.”

Soon, the path shifted from lumber to stone and dirt; the group crowded closer to each other at the shift. They were underground now, and it wasn’t something any of them wanted. “Muriel,” Asra called in a hushed voice, “your magic draws from the earth. Can you tell how much longer this path goes on for?”

Muriel closed his eyes, and Asra felt his magic permeate the air. Only a second later, Muriel answered, “This isn’t like anything in the real world. I can’t tell.”

Asra stopped walking and dug the compass out of his bag. The needle pointed steadily onward. “Well, we’re still on the right path,” Asra said, stowing the compass again. “Nowhere to go but onward or back.”

“Onward,” Aisha said, and they started moving again. 

After a few more minutes of walking, Asra halted abruptly with a gasp. His companions all asked him why at the same time, was he alright- when they saw it. A spider, one that reached their shins, skittered half-way up the cylindrical wall in its haste to turn around and dash from the light. Swallowing hard, Salim said, “Well, we know what made the spiderwebs now. Is that what you sensed that didn’t want to be disturbed?”

Asra shook his head. “I can’t be sure. I assume so. And there were more than one. Here’s hoping that they aren’t aggressive.”

“Well, that one ran away,” Aisha said. “But there’s no guarantee that they won’t get aggressive if we pursue it. Does the compass still say that we’re on the right path?”

Asra pulled out the compass again. “Yes,” he muttered, stowing it again. “It’s a chance we’re going to have to take, although I won’t blame any of you if you want to turn back.”

“I’m staying with you,” Muriel said immediately. His parents quickly agreed, and Asra nodded grimly and continued walking. 

Not long after that, they came to a fork in the path. Asra pulled the compass out again. The needle swayed back and forth like a metronome between the two paths. “It doesn’t seem to matter which path we take,” Asra announced, putting the compass away. 

“Why leave this path, then?” Salim asked. “Let’s just go straight.”

“Fair enough.”

“Wait,” Muriel said. “If it doesn’t matter which way we go, why not check to see if one path has the spiders in it?”

Aisha, without waiting for further discussion, extended her magic out from her. As her magic settled around them, she took a breath to speak, when a skittering noise interrupted her. “What was that?” Salim said, sounding spooked. 

“Do you have to ask?” Asra replied in a tight voice, as he watched the spider approach. It was huge. While the spider they’d seen previously was the size of a small dog or child, this spider towered over all of them but Muriel, and even then had a few inches on him. The creature’s body took up the entire height and width of the tunnel. 

The spider approached them, and came to a halt directly in front of them. It stared them down, not moving. Asra could see himself reflected in every one of its eyes, it was so close to them, but it made no move to approach them further. “I don’t think this path is an option,” Asra said, his voice cracking on his joking tone. 

“The other one, then.” Salim was staring up at the creature with wide eyes. “The sooner we get away from this thing, the better.”

“I don’t think it means us any harm,” Asra said, turning from the straight path to the fork. “I think it just wants us on the other path.”

“There are no spiders on the other path,” Aisha said, as they all began to follow Asra. She cringed as they heard the spider moving behind them. “I sensed a _lot_ of them in the other direction. Maybe it’s just trying to protect its nest.”

No one said anything else in response to that, walking in tense silence. Asra’s shoulders slumped in relief when he caught sight of daylight at the end of the tunnel, smelled fresh air whistling on a breeze that ran through it. He excitedly pointed out that they were almost out, and picked up his pace, guiding them to freedom. 

The tunnel opened up into a clearing in the woods, every inch of the forest floor covered in soft moss. Asra let out a sharp breath, flopping down onto the moss and lying there for several moments before sitting up. The others sat down, slumped against trees and breathing in the fresh air. After Asra had a chance to shake off the claustrophobia he'd begun suffering in the tunnel, he pulled the compass out once more, sitting up, and pointed. "Looks like we're continuing straight on this path. Is everyone ready to go?"

Salim helped Aisha up and Muriel rose to his feet as well, nodding. "Has Nadia pulled on her end of the line yet?"

Asra shook his head as they started moving. "I don't expect her to. Remember, that was to be a last resort only thing, and I'm certain there's nothing that she and Julian and Portia can't handle on their own. What could happen? We're locked in Nadia's tower. I didn't even know it existed before she showed us when we were coming here. I'm certain no one else knows about it, either."

"It almost sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that everything is alright with them, dear," Aisha said. "We can stop and your father and I can create a door back out to the tower, if you want to check on things."

Asra seemed to consider that for a long while, as they walked, but finally said, "No. If something happens then Nadia _will_ pull the line. I truly don't think anything will happen that she can't handle, but I also know that she knows when to ask for help."

The group fell silent after that, until the path curved slightly to the side, up a hill. As they crested it, Salim looked back. "Oh! Look!" The others followed his gaze back down the hill, and to the opening of a cavern. The entrance was completely obscured by spider webs. "Is that what we would've encountered if we continued on the path that the spider blocked?" Salim asked, awed.

"I think so," Asra replied, looking over the area. "It looks like a nest. It just wanted to keep us out of its home."

They watched for several more moments before Asra turned away again. "Come on, let's get moving. We're not finding Thomas by looking at a spider nest."

Silence fell again as Asra kept one eye on his compass, the other on the path before them. Soon the forest gave way to a bright, clear river. The path brought them right to a dock on the crystalline water, and a boat tied to it, bobbing peacefully in the current. Muriel eyed the boad skeptically. "Am I going to fit in that?"

Asra approached the boat, dropping down into it, and finally calling back up, "You'll be fine, it's big enough for all of us. There's a lighthouse on the other side of the river and my compass is pointed straight for it."

“Do you recognize any of this?” Muriel asked.

“No, but I know we’re heading in the right direction.” Asra waited, barely patient, as first his parents and then Muriel gingerly dropped into the boat. Once they were settled, he settled himself by the side of the boat, dipped his fingers into the water, and tapped the side of the boat. The boat lurched into motion, moving slowly, and Asra frowned. “I don’t get it. Usually this spell goes much faster...”

“How many people do you usually use it with?” Salim asked. 

“What difference does that-“

“Weight,” Aisha said. “We’ll help. Describe the spell for us.”

Asra bit back irritation. He had managed to live twenty-three years without their guidance, and he had no idea why they were suddenly so eager to guide him now. It couldn’t be the mess they were in; Asra and Thomas had a simple miscommunication, one he planned to fix before discovering Thomas in a magical coma. He didn’t need parental guidance to talk to his lover.

And he wasn’t even sure he needed them to accompany him on this journey. He thought better of saying that, though. He could handle loneliness just fine, but he didn’t particularly like it. Especially not after the events of the masquerade three years ago. 

Instead, he explained what he was doing, and very quickly, the boat zoomed in the water, cast along by the magic of three magicians instead of one. In only a few minutes they had crossed the river and drifted gently to the dock. Asra leapt out and tied the boat to the dock, then helped his companions up and out of it. 

His gaze was pulled upward, to the lighthouse that loomed before them. “Well, we’re no close to answers standing around out here,” he said, heading for the door. The others followed behind him. 

Asra took the steps two at a time, ignoring how his parents urged him to slow down. He couldn’t. They were moving far too slowly for his liking. Every second that passed in the real world, Thomas was languishing, possibly dying, and Asra couldn’t stand the thought of losing him again. If Thomas died again, it would end Asra. There would be no ritual to save him this time. 

Asra did have the presence of mind to wait for his parents and friend once he reached the top of the lighthouse. Once they had caught up to him, Asra pushed the inner chamber door open, and went inside. 

The lighthouse’s lamp was dazzling. Asra was struck speechless as he circled it in awe. An entire galaxy was contained in the bulb, stars twinkling and swirling in the glass. Rings rotated around it, giving the impression of a planet in orbit. "This is beautiful," Aisha murmured.

"Why, thank you!"

All of them jumped at the new voice. Giggling, another came into focus, shimmering in the air before them. A human-sized cat, wearing a glittering blue jumpsuit and holding a jar of water appeared before them. The water fell from the jar in glittering arcs, swirling around the cat's fingers, never falling to the floor. "Welcome," she said, smiling. "I am the Star. Nice to meet you!"

"It's... nice to meet you, too," Asra said haltingly. "So we're in your realm now. Do you know where Thomas is?"

"You're focused, aintcha?" The Star's feline ears twitched, and her smile turned sad. "I don't know where he is, no, but I do know that you need to find him."

"The Magician told us. He's the Fool."

"Right. Then I don't need to tell you that if the courtiers have their way, it will be _very_ bad for your world."

The four of them looked at each other. "Do you know what their intention is?" Muriel asked, eyes wide.

The Star shook her head. "I don't know for certain, but I can make a guess. The Magician didn't give you the _whole_ story, then."

"The Magician told us what they thought was necessary, I'm sure," Asra sighed, completely unsurprised that it hadn't been everything. "What's your guess?"

The Star swirled water in the air, looking pensive before answering. "The Fool is capable of breaking deals and bindings that the Arcana establish," she said finally. "You and he bound the Devil with his own chains. If Thomas can break those bindings-"

Asra felt like the world just dropped out beneath him. "Then he can free the Devil," he whispered, the color draining from his face. Then he shook his head. "Thomas would never-"

"If given the right ultimatum, he might," the Star cut him off solemnly. 

"What could they possibly threaten him with that he would-"

"You."

Asra was still at her proclamation. "That's- that's not going to happen. They don't _have_ me and they're not going to _get_ me."

"That's right, because you're going to go back to the real world and stay there."

He shook his head. "I can't do that. If we don't find and free him, he'll _die_."

"Asra, listen to me," she said, sternness in her voice now. "He would rather die than to be forced to free the Devil to save you.”

“You don’t know what I went through to save _him_ ,” Asra whispered. 

“We all know what you went through to save him,” she contradicted gently, “but this is bigger than either of you. They’re counting on being able to trap you to force him to do as they say.”

Asra opened his mouth to respond when he cut himself off with a gasp. “Nadia just called us,” he said, turning back to his companions. “We need to go. Star, can we finish this conversation when we’ve dealt with whatever Nadia needs?”

The Star nodded. “I will be here. I’ll even hold the door open for you. Here.” The Star flicked her fingers in their direction, sending a thin stream of water to them. The water wrapped around their bodies and evaporated. “That will work like your connection to Nadia. You will be able to come straight back here- if you come back at all. I want you to seriously consider what I said, Asra. This is bigger than you and your devotion to Thomas.”

Asra nodded gravely. He’d already made up his mind; there was nothing the Star could say to dissuade him. But he did know that the consequences would be dire if he let himself be caught by them. Thomas would absolutely free the Devil to save him if it was between that and Asra’s life.

He just had make sure that didn’t happen. “Let’s go see what Nadia needs,” he said, reaching for his parents’ hands. Aisha and Salim both reached back for Asra, and to Muriel, who took their hands. Then Asra closed his eyes, and they were gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Nadia strode through the halls of the palace, her thoughts dark. She didn’t want to believe it, but she didn’t think the courtiers intelligent enough to come up with a plan to kidnap one of her magicians, let alone the ability to tell when to strike. They had to have help, and the only person she knew of who would give them that help was Valerius. 

It didn’t help her suspicions that she couldn’t find the man anywhere, and she had been looking since the Alnazars and Muriel went back to the magical realms. Frustrated and weary, she stopped the chamberlain as they passed her with a nod. “I am going to be in the parlor we meet diplomats in,” she said. “Have the guards find Consul Valerius, and the Praetor, and bring them to me.”

“Yes, Milady.”

Nadia could tell that they wanted to ask her what this was about, but thankfully they went to do as she said without questioning her. She went to the parlor she indicated and sat, hands clasped tightly in her lap to keep from shaking. She was so angry. One of her closest friends was in danger now because the Consul couldn't be trusted. He had practically begged her to believe him, that he'd had nothing to do with the courtiers' trechery, and she had believed him. 

This would teach her to believe anything he said.

In minutes, the guard brought Valerius and the Praetor she'd appointed when she stripped Vlastomil of his title and threw him in the dungeon. "Countess Nadia," Valerius said stiffly, "what is the meaning of this? I don't have time to-"

"The courtiers are missing," she cut him off in a deadly quiet voice, "and I think you know something about it."

Valerius went pale. "I assure you, I don't. This is news to me. When were they discovered missing?"

"This morning."

"And you've waited until the afternoon to tell me this... why?"

Nadia's eyes narrowed at him. "I suggest you watch your tone, Consul. You're in enough hot water already."

" _I'm_ in hot water?" He barely suppressed a snarl. "You're the one who's wasted so much time it will be next to impossible to find them! I-"

"Consul!" the Praetor interrupted, and turned his gaze to Nadia. Softer, he said, "Countess. May I suggest that pointing fingers isn't what we should be doing right now? We should be looking for them."

"I already have people looking for them," Nadia replied coolly. "There's no sign that they broke out of the dungeon and the guards insist they neither saw nor heard anything out of the ordinary around the time when we already know they went missing. My magician believes they are in the magical realms and is looking for them now."

"How convenient for you." Valerius wasn't able to keep the snarl out of his voice this time. "How do you know when they went missing, if their guards neither saw nor heard anything?"

"Because they've taken my _other_ magician captive, and he's been unconscious since last night."

Valerius shook his head. "Do you have proof of any of this?"

Nadia met his gaze full-on. "Asra says this is the most likely scenario, and I believe him."

"The witch." Valerius narrowed his eyes. "I think there's a far simpler explanation, Countess."

"And what is that, Consul?"

"You helped them escape yourself and now you're trying to pin it on me."

Nadia's eyes widened in shock, and then she snarled, "And why in the world would I do that, Valerius? They tried to overthrow me, encouraged Lucio to take power back from me, _almost brought back the plague._ What reason could I _possibly_ have to want them free?"

"The same goes for me!" Valerius snapped back. "I had no idea they were beasts when I befriended them and I've been trying to repair the damage to my reputation ever since you threw them in the dungeon!"

"You _did_ befriend them, though. You _helped_ them."

"Before I knew what they were!"

The Praetor interrupted the argument, clearing his throat. "You say that one of the court magicians is unconscious? Which one?"

"Thomas," Nadia answered, still staring at Valerius.

"I see. And I assume Asra is attempting to revive him?"

"Of course."

"Where are they?"

At that, Nadia did look at him. "Somewhere secure," she answered. "Given that we don't know how they escaped in the first place, I'd rather not give away the details."

"That's a shame." He looked at her, then Valerius and back. "You're both quite right that they probably had help in escaping- and it was probably you or him, Countess. Until they are caught and brought back to justice..." He steeled himself. "Until it is clear which of you assisted them, I'm going to have to ask that _both_ of you cooperate with me, and agree to be confined while I carry out my own investigation." Both of them protested at once, and the Praetor held up a hand to silence them. "You're not giving me much choice, Countess," the Praetor said. "In ordinary circumstances I'd call on the court magicians to assist me, but one is incapacitated and the other is preoccupied with helping him, and I wouldn't want to ask Asra to turn from his task to track down the courtiers anyway. But I need both of you to be out of the way while I summon my own magicians and suss out the truth here. Please understand, both of you."

Valerius gave a tight smile, not taking his angry gaze off Nadia. "I'll cooperate. Although I'm hesitant to leave the magicians in Nadia's care, as I'm assuming they are."

Nadia glared right back. "They are my friends," she bit out. "I would never harm them as you're so callously implying, Valerius."

The Praetor shook his head. "Valerius might object to it but I don't. Asra would be nearly useless to me, as preoccupied with Thomas as I imagine he is. And I've seen how close they are myself, Valerius. That doesn't change just because you suspect Nadia of foul play." Valerius scowled, but said nothing. "Both of you stay here. I'll send guards to escort you to your chamber, Countess, and you to your estate, Valerius. Don't try to get away. Doing so will just convince me of your guilt."

Nadia wanted to call after him that that wasn't how it worked, but she said nothing. She knew that anything she said could be used against her now. What was Valerius thinking? What reason could she have for wanting to do harm to her friends? Once the Praetor was gone, she asked in a low voice, "Are you just accusing me of this because I accused you? Is this tit-for-tat?"

Valerius shook his head. "No. I know I didn't help them escape, and you're the only other one with the means to do it."

"Could it not have been a guard that helped them?"

"I don't know, could it?" Valerius's voice was sharp with sarcasm. Then, more thoughtfully, he said, "I doubt it. Why would one of the guards work with the courtiers? They have no motive."

"Neither do I, Consul."

"You do. Everyone knows that your magicians keep you in line." He ignored how she bristled at that, and he said, "It's the truth, Nadia. You listen to almost no one but them, and they are _loud_ when they disagree with what you're planning. You listen to them more than anyone else. If you wanted them out of your way-"

"If I wanted them out of my way I would simply dismiss them," she bit out. "They gave up a lucrative business in the city to take on the duties I've given them. They'd be more than happy to simply open their shop for business again. I wouldn't _need_ to conspire to remove them."

Valerius looked thoughtful, and Nadia questioned her confidence that Valerius was behind this. He seemed to be truly trying to figure this out. "What if _no one_ helped them?" he suggested. 

"They're not magicians, Consul."

"No, they aren't, yet they were granted immense power by the Devil for their services to him. What if they didn't entirely lose those powers when the witches defeated the Devil?"

Nadia scowled. " _Magicians_ , and why would they focus their attempt at subtrefuge on Thomas and not Asra as well? Surely they knew that Asra would go after them for it. It's not exactly a secret that they have a relationship, and a rather intense one at that."

Valerius sat down across from her, frowning in thought. "Why would they only go after Thomas indeed. What's so special about him?"

It was a genuine question. Nadia hesitated to answer. "They explained to me that Thomas's blood was what freed us from the Devil's ritual three years ago. I didn't understand the explanation fully- something about magic only working once against him, and he'd already been compelled to the ritual before the Devil gathered us."

"Is it possible that they're laboring under the assumption that Thomas can undo what he and Asra did to the Devil three years ago?"

"Where would they get the idea that he could do that?"

"It's the only reason I can think of that they'd target him and ignore Asra, knowing Asra would try to get him back."

Nadia sat back, thinking hard about the situation. "If he _can_ do as you suggest, and they know it, it could be very bad for us all."

"Yes." And then his mouth twisted in a disdainful smile. "And you, by your reckless accusations, have gotten both of us arrested for possible treason."

"I'm not convinced you had nothing to do with this, Valerius. It's no secret that you wanted Vesuvia for yourself. That you made deals of your own."

Valerius narrowed his eyes. "I had little choice, Nadia. Lucio was dead and you were in a coma. It fell to me to run the city, and-"

"And you made deals with the Devil to do it."

"I didn't know who he was at first! By the time I figured it out, I was in too deep. If I could take it back I would but I can’t. I was in over my head, Nadia- as you were when you first woke.” He paused. “Why would I try to take power back from you when I was such an ineffective leader in the first place?”

Nadia was almost convinced. Almost. “Well, we’re both under suspicion now,” she said wearily. “I suggest we both cooperate with the Praetor’s investigation.”

“We have little choice now. Was my assumption that the wi- pardon, _magicians_ are under your care a correct one?”

Doctor Devorak is monitoring Thomas’s condition while Asra and his parents look for Thomas in the magical realms.”

“Where are they?”

“My contemplation tower.”

“Of course,” Valerius murmured. “It would behoove us to tell the Praetor that we’re cooperating with each other now. Please find a way to tell me if anything changes.”

Nadia nodded as the Praetor returned, followed by six guards and two other people Nadia recognized as being employed by the Praetor, the magicians he spoke of, she assumed.

The Praetor looked at both of them, interest on his face. “You’re not at each other’s throats.”

Valerius gave a tight smile. “We have come to an understanding of sorts. Keep us both abreast of your investigation, if you please.”

“I planned on it. If I could trust either of you not to fight amongst yourselves I wouldn’t be taking this step. Don’t try to talk your way out of it, Consul, you both proved that you can’t be trusted to stay out of the way by your accusations.”

Nadia sighed, going to the three guards that would take custody of her. “I am hoping against hope that I am wrong about you, Valerius,” she said. 

He stood and went to the other three. “The Praetor’s investigation will exonerate me- as it will exonerate you, if you are truly innocent.”

She smiled tightly as Valerius was escorted from the parlor. When he was gone, the Praetor nodded to Nadia’s guards, and the four of them headed out of the parlor and through the halls of the castle.

The guards stayed outside of her rooms when she entered, and went straight for her contemplation tower. She made sure that the door closed behind her completely before mounting the stairs, her stride purposeful. 

Julian looked up from his station beside Thomas as she entered the chamber. “Nadia. Is everything-“

“It is not,” Nadia cut him off, pacing. “Valerius is the prime suspect in helping the courtiers escape, and I confronted him. He denied knowing anything about it, and accused me of helping them in turn. He claims his accusation wasn’t in retaliation for mine, but I’m not sure I believe him. Now we both stand accused of treason until the Praetor carries out his own investigation.”

Julian frowned sharply. “So what now?”

“Now, we give Asra an update and hope that he has made headway in his task.”

Before Julian could say anything, Nadia envisioned the line Asra had attached to her, and pulled. Moments later, Asra stirred, his eyes sliding open as his companions awoke as well. “Nadi,” he said, gaze fixing on her. “You pulled the line. Is everything alright?”

“No,” she said, settling down next to Julian as she told them of her accusation and subsequent conversation with Valerius.

The magicians shared a look. “You’re right not to trust the consul,” Aisha said. “That is exactly what the Star said is happening, almost word for word. I don’t know how he would even think such a thing possible if he didn’t think of it himself.”

Nadia closed her eyes. “What do you plan to do, Asra?” she asked. 

“I’m going to rescue Thomas, of course,” he said immediately, but his voice was thoughtful. “We can’t leave you in the position you’re in- and it isn’t fair to Julian to be locked up here with no freedom, either.”

“I’m fine,” Julian answered, “but I agree that we can’t leave things as they are with Nadia. How are we to prove her innocence, though? I can’t see anything proving that except one of the courtiers up and confessing. This whole thing is quite, ah, nebulous at best.”

Asra thought about it for a moment. “What if we can do that? Get a courtier to return and confess.”

Julian’s eye widened. “You think you can do that? What are you planning? To trick one of them?”

Asra shook his head. “I don’t think I need to trick her. Remember how easily Volta turned on the others, once she was free of the Devil’s bindings? If the courtiers really are planning on forcing Thomas to free the Devil, I doubt she went along with it willingly. Promise her protection from them and she’ll fold just like she did at their trial.” His expression fell. “We just have to _find_ her.”

Muriel spoke up. “We could ask the Star for guidance. If you’re truly going to insist on coming with us, I’m sure she would give us as much information as we need.”

“If,” Salim emphasized, sounding worried. “Asra, I want you to seriously consider what you’re doing. I have no doubt that Thomas will refuse to do as they say, and that’s going to paint a target on your back, to be used as leverage against him. If they haven’t figured out that they need you by now, they will very soon. I’d rather they _not_ have easy access to you. Stay. Let us deal with things in the magical realms.”

Asra shook his head, gaze flicking to Thomas’s still face and back up to his father’s. “I can’t watch while he slowly dies right in front of me,” he said in a ragged voice. “I have to help. I’m going with.”

Salim opened his mouth to reply, and Aisha put a hand on his arm. She said nothing, just met his gaze with her sad one. Whatever unspoken sentiment she was trying to communicate, he sighed and shook his head. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Asra nodded. “We better get back to the Star and let her know what’s happening. We’ll be back as soon as we can, Nadi.”


	6. Chapter 6

In the next moment, the four travelers were back in the Star's realm. "So?" she prompted, tail flicking. "What's going on back home?"

"Nadia's been accused of helping the courtiers escape," Asra answered. "We're going to try to go after Volta and convince her to go back and set the record straight."

"I see. There's no chance that you're not here only to tell me this and you're going to go right back, is there?"

Asra gave her a look that told her that he thought she was insane, but instead said mildly, "No. Volta isn't a danger to me. She's never been entirely on board with what the others do. She's always only wanted to be left alone with her food. All we need to do is tell her she can have that back and she'll go without a fight. I'm sure of it." Then he lied, "We can revisit me leaving the magical realms once we've taken care of Volta."

He could tell that the Star believed him as far as he meant it, but she simply shook her head. "I hope you're right, Asra."

"No one wants to see the Devil freed," he replied softly, "least of all _me_. I'll be careful, I promise you that."

"Very well. The courtiers all have ties to different Arcana. They were draining those Arcana of their power while they had deals with the Devil; that's not happening anymore, but still, be careful going into these realms. They're stronger there than they are in the physical world. You'll probably find Volta with Temperance."

Asra glanced over his companions; they all nodded, and he nodded in turn. "We'll be careful. Let's go, guys."

The Star was silent as they made their way out of the lighthouse. Asra pulled his compass from his bag the moment they left the structure; gone was the great river and dock. They were now surrounded by a snowy wood, spindly trees stretching up to the sky. The compass drifted aimlessly for a number of minutes before settling in a particular direction. Asra pointed. "That way."

They moved through the woods, down a clear path. The woods were unnaturally silent, the only sound they heard their own footsteps, muffled by the snow. It was cold, colder than any of them wanted to tolerate; after a few minutes, Aisha cast a bubble of warm air around them, and Asra sighed in relief as Salim and Muriel relaxed. "Thanks, Mom."

Aisha murmured a response, too quiet for Asra to hear. He was too preoccupied to ask her to speak up. This was a detour that he didn't want to take. He didn't know how long he had before Thomas began to suffer ill effects from his coma; he wanted to continue to look for him. He frowned as he caught himself thinking it. The compass needle continued pointing steadily on, despite his feelings, and he stopped. "Hey, someone take the compass from me for a moment."

His companions looked at each other, but Muriel reached for it and Asra handed it to him. The needle pointed steadily onward. "Alright, I took the compass," Muriel said, baffled. "What's the point of this, Asra?"

"Which do you want more right now, to find Thomas or to find Volta?"

"To find Volta." He sounded even more confused now.

Asra smiled. "I think Thomas is with her, if the needle is continuing to point in this direction. I can't- I can't stop feeling like Thomas is the more important thing right now. The needle should be directing us elsewhere when I'm holding it if they're not together."

As he spoke, Asra reached for the compass again, and Muriel held it away from him. "No," he said sternly. "We're going after Volta, not Thomas. I’m not giving you the chance to put us off course.”

Asra gave a ragged sigh, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “That’s not necessary, Muriel,” he muttered as they started walking again. “I know we have to find Volta.”

“But you just told me you’d rather find Thomas and we can’t risk the courtiers moving him and you not noticing that we’ve been thrown off course. I’ll give it back once we’ve found Volta.”

Asra said nothing, facing forward and following the others. He took comfort in the fact that Thomas was with Volta; he was probably with the other courtiers as well, but with any luck, they’d be able to drive them off and get Thomas back. 

Soon the woods gave way to a frozen lake; they all looked to Muriel for guidance. Muriel stared at the compass for a number of moments before speaking. “The needle points straight across the lake.”

Salim pushed to the front of the group, looking up and down the banks of the lake. “It would take too long to go around,” he said after a moment. “Aisha, I’m afraid you’re going to have to let us feel the cold for a while. I’m not comfortable walking across ice even without warm air following us around.”

Asra flocked his fingers at their feet as Aisha dropped the bubble of warm air. He shivered as the cold hot him, but it didn’t break his concentration. “What exactly did you just do?” Salim asked, bemused.

“Gave our shoes a bit more traction. No point in sliding all over the place if we can help it. Let’s get this over with.”

The group headed out onto the ice, moving cautiously as they did so. Asra kept his magic focused on the ice beneath them, trying to detect any weakness in the ice. The sunset turned to inky night as they moved slowly and carefully, letting Asra guide them around thin patches. The moon hung low in the sky as they reached the far shore. Aisha and Salim slid to the ground together as Muriel examined the compass. “We’re still on track,” he announced. “It’s getting warmer, too. It’s a miracle the ice held up at the end of that.”

Asra sighed, looking around. It was quite a bit warmer; he could see the edge of the lake was brittle and melting. “How much farther do you think it is?” he asked. 

Muriel shrugged, offering Asra the compass. “You still focused on Thomas?”

“Of course.” Asra accepted the compass, looking down at it.

“Is Thomas still with Volta?”

Asra waited for the needle to settle before he spoke again. “Where was it pointing before?” Muriel pointed, and Asra nodded, looking up. “It seems so.”

Muriel grunted in response, holding his hand out and wiggling his fingers in a “hand it over” gesture. Asra heaved put-upon sigh, but placed it back in Muriel’s hand. 

By then, Asra’s parents had recovered and stood. “Well? Onward?” Aisha asked.

“Onward,” Asra agreed. Muriel took the lead again, and they started off once more.

Icy forest gave way to warm plains; as the sun rose in the distance, they came to another river. Muriel gestured for them to follow alongside it, and they did so. Soon they came to a cliff, the rushing river flowing off the edge. They cautiously approached the edge, looking over it into a lush jungle. “We need to find a way down there,” Muriel announced.

All attention focused on Asra as he closed his eyes, stretching out his magic, feeling for a way down. He gasped sharply. “Thomas is down there!”

“Are you sure?” Salim asked.

“Positive!” 

Asra started looking frantically around, and Muriel put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. “Don’t go rushing down there,” Muriel said sternly. “We don’t know if the other courtiers are with them and if they kill him here, he will _never_ wake up.”

“I know that!” Asra snapped back, “and that’s exactly why I-“

“For gods’ sakes, Asra, calm down and use your head when it comes to him force once in your life!”

Asra shook Muriel’s hand off, turning away. “Asra,” Salim said softy, “we know you’re worried. We are too. But we have to be smart about this.”

“You don’t understand,” Asra murmured. “I can’t live in a world where he isn’t there. I tried. It ended with a deal with the Devil.”

Salim, Aisha, and Muriel were quiet. His parents had been told that Asra had engaged in necromancy to get Thomas back after his death of the plague, but Asra could never bring himself to tell them the full extent that he went to. “What was your deal, sweetheart?” Aisha said softly, reaching out and laying her hand on his arm. 

He took a deep breath. “I gave up half of my heart,” he answered finally. “He has it, quite literally. If the fact that he’s a person doesn’t make you want to save him, or that he’s my lover, then maybe this will: we have no idea what his death will do to _me._ ”

Salim reached out and laid a hand over Aisha’s. “The fact that he’s a person deserving of life is enough. It’s always been enough. We have no intention on letting them kill him, which is why we need you to think rationally about this. If we startle them too badly, and we’re not fast enough, they could kill him before we even have a chance to attempt to save him. Calm down and _think,_ Asra.”

Asra took a deep breath, closing his eyes, then exhaled slowly. “Alright. What’s the plan?”

They all looked at each other, none of them having an answer. Finally, Muriel said, “We can try talking to them. See what they want. I can keep them focused on me, while Asra tries to free Thomas. We still need to figure out how to get Volta to come with us. Nadia’s accused of helping the courtiers escape, not of kidnapping Thomas.”

“If we can drive off the other three, we might be able to intimidate Volta into coming with us,” Asra suggested. 

Aisha nodded. “I think this is the best we can do. Hopefully once Thomas is free he can help us fight.”

“I can’t,” Muriel said quickly.

Aisha and Salim looked at him curiously, but Asra quickly said, “We don’t expect you to. Once we have Thomas, just stay out of the way- or protect him, if he’s incapacitated.”

“I think I can do that.” Muriel sounded unsure. Asra set him with a sympathetic look.

Salim nodded. “Are we ready?” His three companions nodded, and they all started to circle the cliff. 

It was a circular depression in the ground, massive, surrounded on all sides by sheer cliff. They had gone half-way around the depression when Asra spotted steep stairs cut into the side of the cliff, and pointed to them. Without a word, the group went to the stairs and began to descend. 

After about fifty steps, Asra looked back up and grimaced. “Getting out of here is going to be fun,” he muttered.

“Assuming we get Thomas back, we can simply leave the realms,” Aisha said. “Optimism, Asra. Stay optimistic.” Asra responded with a cynical noise and kept moving. 

Asra lost count of the stairs at around two hundred; all of them were breathless by the time they stepped off the final stair. It had taken them all the way around to the other side of the waterfall; Asra knelt by the pool it fed and scooped a handful of crystal clear water in his hands, and drank deeply. Aisha joined him as Muriel stared at the compass, and Salim probed the area with his magic. “I’m sensing six beings around the center of the valley,” he said, squinting into the tree line. “Whenever you’re ready to keep moving.”

Asra nodded, scooping up more water and running his wet hands through his hair. He turned his attention to his mother, who sat next to him, head bowed. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly. 

She smiled up at him. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a moment.” Asra put a hand on her shoulder and she patted it, then Asra stood and joined his father and friend, searching the jungle before them for any sign of hostility.

Finally, Muriel said, “You sense six beings. The courtiers and Thomas makes five. Who’s the sixth?”

“Temperance would be my guess,” Asra replied, as he came to stand with them. Aisha rose and joined them as well as he spoke. “Are we all ready to go?”

“Yes,” Muriel said, glancing over the group. “I’ll keep the compass, and when we get close, split off and try to get behind them.” Asra nodded, and the four companions ducked into the jungle. 


	7. Chapter 7

Asra split off from the group, crouched low in the underbrush. Moving quickly and silently, Asra made his way around to the back of the camp and ducked behind a group of bushes. From his vantage point, he could see the courtiers sitting around a campfire; and at the edge of the circle of light, an elegant dove-headed woman and Thomas, their hands bound behind their backs. Asra very carefully stretched out his magic, and took stock of their condition. 

He felt an enchantment laid on both of them, blocking their magic. He puzzled over that, but only for a moment; he figured the dove was a Temperance, and the courtiers shouldn’t be able to subdue an Arcana. Whether she was truly subdued or not wasn’t an issue. What was an issue was that they appeared to be helpless, and Asra could fix that. 

He crept forward, letting his magic sweep over the captives as he reached for Thomas’s hands. Thomas stiffened, clutching Asra’s fingers in a tight, shaking fist. He didn’t move, otherwise; good. Keeping an ear out for his friends, Asra got to work. 

The first thing he did was cut their bindings with a magic blade he summoned to his hands, impressing on them to stay absolutely still as he worked. He had just freed Thomas when he heard Vulgora’s loud, graying voice: “What do _you_ want?”

“Don’t say you want Thomas and Temperance,” Vlastomil added. “You’re not getting them.”

Asra quickly moved to cut the ropes binding Temperance. He didn’t know how much time he had, now that Muriel, Aisha, and Salim had made their move. “Why do you even want Thomas?” Muriel demanded. “He’s useless if Asra isn’t around.”

“Don’t answer that.” Valdemar. “Speaking of Asra, I don’t see him with you. He is Thomas’s beloved, is he not?” Asra could hear a cruel edge to their voice. “Did he really only send you three to rescue someone he loves so dearly? Trouble in paradise, perhaps?” They gave a deep, throaty chuckle. “Or maybe the magician _is_ here.”

“He isn’t. They had a fight before Thomas went missing and he still isn’t over it.”

“Oh, I don’t believe that at all. Not one bit.” Asra sawed at Temperance’s bindings faster, harder as he heard Valdemar shift and rise. “Come out, come out, wherever you are! Where are you hiding, Asra?”

The ropes binding Temperance snapped. The the three of them held absolutely still as Valdemar approached. There was the sound of a scuffle, Vulgora shouting Valdemar’s name. “Now!” Temperance cried, and Asra scrambled upright, stepping in front of Thomas. “He can’t use his magic,” Temperance said quickly. 

“I know, I sensed it.”

“Protect him at all costs!”

“I planned on it!”

Asra heard Thomas scramble to his feet, and he threw over his shoulder, “Run! I’ll find you!”

“I’m not leaving you!” Thomas yelled back. Asra didn’t have time to argue further, because Valdemar was at his throat. He summoned ice to his fingers and clawed his hands down Valdemar’s face, aiming for their eyes. 

Temperance flung her magic outward, driving Valdemar back. Together, she and Asra advanced, magic crackling between them. Asra caught sight of his parents driving Vlastomil and Vulgora to the center of the clearing, while Muriel ran around the edge of it to Thomas. He saw Volta move to intercept Muriel, out of the corner of his eye, and almost laughed when Muriel hefted her over his shoulder and kept moving. 

It was all over within another minute. Aisha, Salim, Asra, and Temperance surrounded Valdemar, Vulgora, and Vlastomil; all of them breathed heavily. Valdemar grinned at Asra. “You can take us back as many times as you want, but you’re going to have to kill us to stop us.”

Asra decided not to dignify that with an answer. “Why did you kidnap Thomas?” he demanded. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Oh, put me down!” Volta cried. “Put me down and I shall tell you!”

“Shut up, Volta!” Vulgora hissed.

Volta tried to right herself on Muriel’s shoulder. “I will not! You’ve all been horrid to me ever since Valdemar came up with this plan and I don’t want to do it anymore!”

Valdemar grinned viciously as Vulgora snarled. “If she wants out, then she can stay with them, for all I care. She’s proved useless anyway.” Valdemar tilted their head at Asra. “And I don’t care if you know our plans. But you’re a smart person, Asra. Surely you’ve made a guess by now, hm?”

Asra met their gaze almost hatefully. “Pretend I’m an idiot, then,” he replied.

Valdemar gave a hissing laugh. “Maybe I don’t need to pretend, then. Thomas is special in ways you can’t imagine. We’ve intend to use his talents to our advantage.”

“And what, exactly, is ‘to your advantage?’” Asra pressed, glancing at his parents. They knew what the Star told them. He didn’t want to give them any ideas they didn’t already have.

Valdemar seemed to be telling the truth when they said they didn’t care if he knew their plans. “Why, he can free the Devil, of course.”

Asra closed his eyes. But he only sat with Valdemar’s words for a moment before looking at the courtiers again. “Fortunately, you won’t get the chance now,” he said harshly. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but one way or another, you’re coming back with-“

“Goodness, you _are_ an idiot. You seem to think you’re in control here.”

“We have you surrounded,” Salim said. “How are we not in control?”

“You haven’t once questioned how we escaped your prison already, have you? No matter. Thomas, free us.”

Asra stiffened in shock, eyes widening, even as he heard Thomas gasp, “ _No,_ ” and a scuffle behind him. Temperance’s voice rang out through the air, words of power that made no sense to Asra, magic that made Asra’s mind beg to stop listening.

It wasn’t enough. Muriel’s warning shout came two seconds too late as he turned in time for Thomas to barrel into him. Not quite understanding what was happening, not _wanting_ to understand, Asra’s arms went around him as Thomas struggled to rise. “Thomas!” he gasped, holding on for dear life. “I’ve got you! I won’t let them-“

“Asra, let him go!” Temperance cried. Asra did so reflexively, and then just barely rolled away as a magical blade flashed in Thomas’s hands. “I’m sorry!” Thomas sobbed, scrambling to his feet and straight to the courtiers. “I love-!”

Thomas’s cry was swallowed as he and the courtiers disappeared. Muriel grunted as Volta shimmered in his arms as well. “Oh no you don’t!” Temperance snapped, stretching out a feathered arm.

As the three courtiers and Thomas vanished from sight, Temperance’s magic wrapped around Volta, and her form solidified again. Aisha rushes to Asra’s side, helping him sit, checking him over for injuries. “He didn’t stab you, did he? I saw the knife-“

Asra gently pushed his mother’s hands away. “He didn’t. Temperance warned me in time.” All eyes turned to Muriel and Volta. "What did you do to him?" Asra asked, his voice flat. They could all hear the barely-restrained panic in it.

Muriel gently set Volta on her feet. She looked around, putting her hands to her face. "What have we done, what have we done," she murmured, her voice shaking. "Valdemar and Vlastomil can use magic, yes they can. They are old, very old, and the Devil gave them magic, they just never used it blatantly until now. The enchantment that blocks Thomas's magic- you sensed it, did you not, magician?"

Asra nodded. "I- I did."

"It also gives Valdemar control over his actions, to a certain extent. You saw it yourself. I know he didn't _want_ to attack you- it just happened, as Valdemar wanted it to." She sighed. "They mean to use that enchantment to force Thomas to unbind the Devil. I do not want them to succeed, oh no I do not. The Devil is cruel, and used us for his own ends. None of the deals he made with us were for anything but his own power. I tried to walk away from him, I tried to stop making deals, but he always, always found a way to _make_ me accept his deals."

"Alright," Salim said slowly, "how do we break the enchantment on him?"

"I don't know. I don't know. I do know that they don't know how to get to the Devil's realm. They're looking, though, and when they find the way- Oh, please stop them before they find the way! Please!"

"We plan on it," Asra replied grimly. "We have a favor to ask of you."

Volta startled, her eye shifting from one of them to the other nervously. "You- you do?"

"Nadia and Valerius have accused each other of helping the four of you escape."

"Perposterous!" Volta exclaimed. "No one helped us escape! Valdemar had been planning for a good long time, yes, even since we were first imprisoned. They were simply biding their time, waiting for an opportunity to kidnap Thomas. No, no one helped us escape. We did it all ourselves."

"Then are you willing to tell the Praetor that?" Aisha asked.

Volta nodded. "I will, I will. I will even go back to that nasty, damp cell, if I need to. Only get me out of here, and stop them from getting me again!"

Muriel looked around at them. "So who's going to take her back?"

"We will," Salim said immediately. "Can you wait for us to return?"

Asra bit his lip, looking around the clearing. He didn't want to be standing there right then. He wanted to be chasing after the courtiers already. Temperance stepped forward, almost unnoticed. "May I make a suggestion?" she asked. All eyes turned to her. Seeing that she had everyone's attention, she addressed Asra. "You care for Thomas a good deal, don't you?"

"He's my world," Asra replied immediately. "I love him so much..."

"You have trouble thinking clearly when it comes to him, don't you?" Asra's face flushed bright red, and he opened his mouth to reply, but Temperance cut him off. "I want to make a deal with you. I don't want Thomas to unbind the Devil anymore than you do. You want your lover back, but can't think straight for fear of him. I propose that I take that fear, that inability to think calmly, and in return, I will give you the ability to track Thomas through the realms. It needn't be a permanent deal, just until this crisis is over." Temperance smiled. "How about it? You're using your magic compass right now. Other tasks can interfere with it; you can lose it. This is a much better solution, don't you think?"

Asra looked from Temperance to his parents to Muriel and back. None of them betrayed what they were thinking; finally, Asra nodded. "Yes. I already- I can already sense him a little bit. We share our heart and soul. He's part of me, literally. But over this distance... I've tried. It hasn't worked. I accept."

Temperance reached out her hand and Asra took it. Streams of water sprang up from the ground, winding their way up Asra's leg and torso and down his arm to gather around their clasped hands. Instantly, Asra felt a sense of calm sweep over him, and everything came into stark focus. He could _feel_ Thomas moving away from them, and he gaped at Temperance as the water faded into nothing, leaving his clothes and skin perfectly dry. 

Temperance was finished with him, though, looking back over the group. "Someone has to escort Volta back to the physical realm."

"We can do that," Aisha said, glancing at Salim. "Can you wait for us to get back?"

Asra bit his lip, glancing in the direction he felt Thomas moving in. "I'd rather not. We need to stop them..."

But his voice trailed off. They'd been going non-stop for what felt like days, and he was tired. "We're all exhausted, Asra," Muriel said softly. "They already have him, and now we have a surefire way to track him. We can rest for a bit. I promise it will be alright."

Asra bit back the desire to argue. "You're right. We'll wait here for you to come back, and we'll all rest a while before moving on."

“I’ll tie you to me temporarily to allow you to come back here directly.” Temperance reached out and thin streams of water wrapped around one of Aisha and Salim’s wrists, and then faded from view. 

Aisha put a hand on Volta’s shoulder. “Thank you for returning with us peacefully.”

Volta patted her hand. “Yes, well, I only wish I had stood up to them when they first came up with this plan. I’m so sorry for the role I played in getting Thomas kidnapped. I hope you find him.”

“We will,” Asra replied, a certain grimness in his voice. They would find Thomas, and then Vulgora, Vlastomil, and Valdemar would burn for what they’d done. Before, such a sentiment would’ve frightened Asra. He didn’t want to be the kind of person who wished for another’s suffering. But the belief was cold, matter-of-fact, distinctly void of passion. 

He said nothing of his inner runinations. The Asra thing he wanted was for Muriel to think he was too close to the situation. Asra would win any such argument, but only because Muriel would stop arguing when Asra made it clear he wasn’t giving in. He didn’t want that kind of conflict with his best friend.

Instead, he watched as his parents and Volta vanished in a flash of light, then settled on the edge of the already-lit campfire. “Might as well get comfortable,” he said, trying to ignore how aware he was that Thomas was quickly moving out of his reach. Muriel and Temperance sat with him, and Muriel turned to him. “You never told me what this argument was about that had him in the magical realms alone.”

Asra sighed, and explained the disagreement. Muriel listened gravely, and then said, “I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m on Thomas’s side in all of this.”

“Muriel-“

“Listen. It’s been years since Thomas stopped having headaches when his past is brought up. Apprenticing to Julian is a significant thing that could alter the way he interacts with someone he considers a friend. You should have brought it up.”

Asra gritted his teeth. “Julian could have, too.”

“Julian isn’t his lover.” Muriel paused. “But you do have a history with Julian, and as far as I know, that’s still unresolved.”

“It’s not unresolved, we just... mutually decided not to bring it up?”

Muriel sighed. "I can't make you talk to him about it- but you need to understand that this disagreement with Thomas didn't come from nowhere. Thomas may have overreacted, but you did _not_ help him out with this. You need to resolve your relationship with Julian one way or another before you can expect Thomas not to react with suspicion when he finds out you withheld information about him, intentionally or not."

Asra turned his gaze to the fire crackling merrily before them. "To be honest, I don't want to," he said softly. "Neither of us were particularly well-behaved with the other. I may have been more cruel to Ilya than I needed to be, especially at the end. I'm not proud of the person I was back then."

"All the more reason for you to talk to him about it." Muriel sighed again and put his back to a tree. "You can't do anything about it right now, anyway. Try to get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

" _I_ will keep watch," Temperance said kindly. "You get some sleep as well, Muriel."

Muriel shook his head. "No. I can't sleep in strange places."

"Then I will keep you company." The Arcana sat down beside him, and Asra laid down on the ground, trying to get comfortable. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep, either, but he knew he had to try.


	8. Chapter 8

The sound of talking roused Asra, and he opened his eyes with a muffled groan. The talking ceased, and he heard his father's voice: "Look who's finally awake!"

Asra sat up, rubbing his eyes. "You're back. How are things in Vesuvia?"

Aisha and Salim looked at each other. "Well, Nadia and Valerius are free now that Volta has said that they had nothing to do with the escape and kidnapping. Doctor Devorak said that he wanted you and Muriel to return next time to eat and drink. We told him we'd do our best to convince you to return, but not to get his hopes up."

Aisha continued her husband's remarks, "But you'll have to go back eventually. We can't have you starving to death."

"I'm not going to starve to death." He spoke as confidently as he could manage, but with a glance at Muriel. If he was entirely honest with himself, he was concerned about his friend. He'd spent days in the magical realms before, but Muriel wasn't accustomed to these long trances. He looked up at Muriel, who was watching him almost shrewdly. "You should go back and get some food," Asra said.

"I'll go when you do."

"Muriel, I've been doing this for _years_ , for days at a time. I'm used to it. You're not." Muriel just shook his head, and Asra sighed, leaning his head back against the tree he was against. 

Temperance spoke up. "Neither of you are in particular danger of starving or dehydrating right now, I can tell you that much. And I can imagine you're eager to get going, Asra. But you can't let yourselves become so weak that it becomes an issue. Your ability to handle the realms will decline as your physical condition does. I beg you not to let anything like that happen."

"I promise that I won't let us become weak enough that it'll be an issue," Asra said solemnly, and he meant it. He knew Temperance wasn't just trying to scare them. Once, when he had been very young, he decided he was going to try to live in the magical realms, with the Magician. The Magician had ended up forcing him to return to his body, and he was so weak he nearly didn't have the strength to get up and find food and water. He was determined that never happen again, and he didn't plan on going back on that resolution now.

But the thought of letting Thomas rot in the realms while he went to eat and drink made him feel ill. "I'll go if I have to," he added, "but I want to try to reach Thomas before doing that."

"Fair enough." Temperance looked to Muriel. "And you?" 

"I'll go when he goes."

Asra made a face, but said nothing about it. Instead he turned his attention to his parents. "Are you rested enough to continue?"

"We are," Salim said, as Muriel rose to his feet. 

Asra followed behind him, focusing his magic. "We need to head out of this valley and keep going north."

"You may want to try to reach Justice," Temperance said. "They're foundering, looking for the way to the Devil's realm, and as of your rescue efforts last night, they hadn't thought to ask Thomas how to get there. If they _do_ think of that, they're going to go straight there- we won't be able to stop them.”

Asra paled. “Should we have taken the time to rest, then?”

“I can sense that they haven’t done that yet. You’re okay.”

Asra nodded, then gestured for the other to follow him. “Well, let’s get moving.”

The walk back out of the valley was long and arduous; they had to stop several times as they climbed the steps. When they finally reached the top, even Asra acknowledged that they needed to rest again. They sat on the ground together as Aisha and Salim told them in more detail about their trip back to the physical realm. 

Once Volta had spoken to the Praetor, and Nadia had been freed, they discussed what to do with Volta. She wasn’t given her freedom, but she was given a guest room rather than being locked up in the dungeon again. Aisha and Salim told Nadia of their imprisonments in cells that negated magic, all those years ago, and when they left to come back to the realms, Nadia and the Praetor said they would summon more magicians to try to replicate such a prison. They would need it when they captured the remaining courtiers- and they _would_ capture them. Asra had no doubt that they would.

Once they were rested, Asra led them through a plain, a field covered in iridescent flowers that reflected the sun, blinding them. Salim summoned a cloud to hang over them as they walked, shielding their eyes from the bright reflections. Asra could feel them getting closer and closer to Thomas; he had stopped moving, to rest, probably. On impulse, Asra reached into his bag and produced his tarot deck. He shuffled through it until he found Justice, and pulled the card out of the deck. Not breaking his stride, he focused on the card, calling out to Justice, questioning him.

The answer he got back was firm. "They _are_ in Justice's realm," Asra told them, "And it seems they've tried the same trick with him as they did with Temperance. He's being held hostage. But we have to be careful. Justice is sending me the message that there's deep danger where they are."

"What kind of danger?" Muriel asked.

"I couldn't tell. I don't think he can communicate with me more than he already did. I think that they're keeping an eye on him to try to prevent him from talking to me."

"How would they even know you can-"

Asra shot his father a look. "I've been a fortune teller for all of my adult life and most of my adolescence, and I am _very_ in tune to my deck. I converse with the cards with fair frequency, and I'm not exactly unknown to the courtiers. They know me, and they know I can talk to the Arcana."

Salim gave him a smile. "That's a lot of words for, 'I'm a famous fortune teller.'" 

Asra's face colored. "I'm not _famous,"_ he protested in a mutter. 

Salim's grin grew, and Aisha clucked her tongue at him. "Stop teasing him, dear."

"I'm not teasing him. He's more well-known than he acknowledges."

"He _is_ one of the court magicians. Of course he's well-known."

"Can we talk about literally _anything_ else?" Asra said, his voice edging on a whine.

"What do you want to talk about?" Muriel asked.

"What I _want_ to talk about is our plan for freeing Thomas when we find him again," Asra said. Then he paused, giving his companions a chance to object. They didn't. "Volta said that the magicians were Valdemar and Vlastomil, right? So it's one of them who's got control of him."

"Valdemar was the one who ordered Thomas to free them," Muriel said. "I assume it's them."

"Not necessarily. I'd _never_ use that kind of magic, but I'm familiar with the theory. In theory, a magician can bind a person to multiple other magicians. It might be Valdemar. It might be Vlastomil, and he's bound Thomas to both him and them."

"So do we spend the time to figure out which one it is, or do we just try to take both of them out?"

Asra thought about it for a moment. "I don't think we have the luxury of trying to figure out which one it is. If we're wrong then the other will just flee with him again."

"And that doesn't account for Vulgora, either," Aisha said thoughtfully. "We'll need to disrupt them as well. They might not have any access to magic, but they're strong. They're as much of a threat to us as the magicians."

Asra's expression darkened. "We need to assume that we'll have to fight all three of them at once."

"We won against them the first time," Muriel pointed out.

"Yes, but if they get Thomas involved again..." He bit his lip. "I don't want to think about it. If they get Thomas involved again, I'll be the one to disable him. I need to do it myself, I need to make sure he isn't hurt more than he absolutely needs to be- if at all."

Salim put a hand on Asra's shoulder. "We're with you. Aisha and I can handle the courtiers if they order Thomas to attack us again." Asra put his hand over Salim's, patting it, before both of them pulled away and continued walking.

Time seemed to have halted at what looked like mid-day; they walked for hours, but the sun didn't move in the sky. Asra turned his face skyward, resting briefly. Muriel said his name questioningly, and Asra shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm just... worried. About what we'll find when we get to Justice's realm."

"What we'll find is Thomas, whole and well, and the courtiers, ready to be taken down and taken back to Vesuvia," Salim replied. "You have to believe that everything will be alright, Asra. Don't falter on us now."

"I'm not. I'm not going to." He took a deep breath. "He's close. Are we ready to face them?" At all of their nods, Asra turned forward again, and kept walking, leading them further into the realm. 

Soon, they came upon a structure that looked a lot like the coliseum in Vesuvia, enough so that Asra had to check to make sure they were still in the magical realms. "Be careful," he said in a low voice. "Thomas is in there- which means that the courtiers are as well." No one responded; no one needed to. The four of them ventured into the structure, past the stands that lined the walls of the arena. Memories of Asra's murder trial flashed in his head as he saw the judge's box looming ahead of them, and he staved off the nauseous feeling the memories caused. He wasn't on trial here. No one thought he'd murdered the count. This was Justice's realm. He didn't know why it had taken the shape it had, but he was positive of where he was. He had to stay focused. Thomas was the only thing that mattered at that moment.

There, in the center of the arena, were the courtiers and Thomas. Thomas wasn't bound as he had been in Temperance's realm; that fact set Asra on edge. What had they threatened him with to get his cooperation?

Vulgora's eyes fixed on them, and they turned to Vlastomil, huffing. "I thought you said we'd be safe here!" they hissed, fisting the front of Vlastomil's shirt.

"I thought we would be!" Vlastomil sputtered, holding his hands up.

"This isn't the time to be arguing," Valdemar interrupted, grabbing Thomas's arm. "Be a good boy and come along, won't you?" 

Even as Thomas moved with Valdemar, he looked over his shoulder. "No! Asra! _Asra!_ "

Valdemar kept a gentle hand on his shoulder, guiding him without force, as Vulgora and Vlastomil turned to face the group. "What are you doing?" Vlastomil demanded. "I can handle this! Go with Valdemar."

" _You_ think you can handle them?" 

Vulgora barked out a condescending laugh, and Vlastomil straightened, glaring at them. "You're not the only one who knows how to fight! I can-"

Vulgora fisted his shirt again. “Let them through and I’ll break your skull, got it?”

Vlastomil held up his hands, squeaking an affirmative, before turning back to the group. “I’m going to make you wish you had minded your own business,” he said, his voice high and frantic. His form started shimmering, coming undone at the edges as the group looked on in horror. 

But Asra couldn’t focus on him. Vulgora and Valdemar were getting away with Thomas. “Muriel!” Asra shouted. “Come on!”

Without waiting to see if Muriel joined him, Asra bolted towards the other side of the arena, running as fast as he could to catch up to them. If he could just get to them, figure out how to release the spell on Thomas-

He followed the three through an archway, and down a set of rickety stairs. He could hear Muriel behind him, but kept his focus on the three people fleeing him. His heart constricted as he heard Thomas sob his name again, but he didn’t dare waste the breath to return his call. 

Finally, with a scowl, Vulgora stopped and whipped around to face them. “You’re so annoying!” they snapped. “Valdemar, teach him a lesson, send his precious Thomas after him.”

“And risk him being able to hold him long enough to break the spell?” Valdemar gave a vicious grin. Then they placed a hand over Thomas’s throat. “But I can make him regret it in other ways.”

Thomas stiffened at the threat; Asra stopped in his tracks. “You wouldn’t,” Asra managed to choke out. “You need him.”

“Are you willing to bet his life on it?” When Asra didn’t answer, didn’t move, Valdemar’s grin grew bigger. “I didn’t think so. We’re leaving now. I think we’d all prefer it if you didn’t test me. Goodbye, magician.”

With that, Vulgora, Valdemar, and Thomas disappeared in a flash of light. Asra cursed, loudly, then turned to Muriel. "We need to get back to my parents," he said through gritted teeth, rushing back into the arena. Muriel followed closely behind him.

They both skidded to a halt, gaping at the scene before them. Aisha and Salim stood together off to a side, a great, transluscent monster menacing them. The monster was singularly focused on them, not noticing that Asra and Muriel had returned. "I'm sick of this," Asra hissed, summoning his magic to his hands. Muriel stared at him as ice formed in the air in front of him, stiffening into a sharp spear-like icicle that he grabbed out of the air, and hurled it at the creature's back. It found its mark, and the wyrm reared back with a shriek, turning to face this new threat.

Asra let his magic whip around them, plunging the temperature in the arena. He didn't feel the cold, but the wyrm seemed to, moving sluggishly as the biting wind whipped around it. Asra advanced, water and wind swirling around his hands. The monster recoiled from him, but he lunged forward, pressing his freezing hands to the creature's unprotected side. The water in the air around his hands solidified into ice where his fingers touched the creature, spreading rapidly through its slimy body.

Finally, a very human voice cried out, "Stop! Stop, please! It's too cold, you're killing me!"

Despite the impulse to simply freeze the creature out harder, Asra immediately backed away. The creature shrank as the temperature in the area went up. Asra resisted the urge to sit down on the sandy ground, exhausted by the intensity of the magic he'd just given off. He couldn't be seen to be weak now. Vlastomil was liable to start fighting again if Asra let his guard down.

Finally, the massive wyrm had shrunk down to human size again, and the four of them surrounded him. "How did you do that?" Salim demanded. "I thought you lost your abilities when you were freed from your deals with the Devil."

"You think all of my power came from the Devil?" Vlastomil wheezed, shivering, rubbing his arms to try to warm up. "I may not be as old as the Devil but I'm older than you can imagine, magician."

"He was a demon before the Devil got to him, that is," came another voice, from the other end of the arena. They watched as a pig-headed figure emerged from the arches on the other side. "Thank you," the figure said as he approached. "I tried to stop him from transforming. We've had a contentious relationship, he and I, ever since he rose to replace a demon worshipped by Lucio's old tribe, in the south. I've tried to reason with him, but-" here he smiled bitterly- "he always seems to have someone else at his ear who's more convincing than I."

"You're Justice," Muriel said.

"I am." Justice turned back to Vlastomil. "If I could bind you I would," he said severely, "but I can't. But I’m sure our friends here have a plan for you.”

Salim nodded, stepping forward. “The palace magicians are renewing the wards to negate magic in the dungeon as we speak.”

Vlastomil sneered. “You think that will never enough to hold me? To hold any of us?”

“Would you rather we killed you?” Asra asked flatly. 

“Asra!” Muriel protested.

“Relax, I’m not going to do it. I don’t think even they will be able to get around those wards, especially since I plan on strengthening them myself.” Asra hadn’t looked away from Vlastomil. “Where would they take him?” he demanded. Vlastomil responded with silence, and the temperature around them plummeted again. “I won’t kill you but I can make you wish I would.”

“I don’t know,” Vlastomil finally said, teeth chattering. “We still haven’t figured out how to get to the Devil’s realm. You’ve figured out that we’re seeking refuge with the Arcana we hold connections to.”

“The Tower or Death, then.”

Justice spoke up. “I can separate them. They’ll be weaker apart than together. But I cannot guarantee who Thomas will end up with.”

Asra looked at his companions, who all nodded. “Do it,” he said. “Mom and Dad will go after Vulgora and Muriel and I will go after Valdemar. Agreed?” 

They all nodded again, and Aisha said, “You and Muriel should take Vlastomil back. Eat and drink. We’ll be alright until you return.”

Asra wanted to object, but the protest died in his throat. They were right. “Alright. Come on, Vlastomil. Time to go.” He grabbed Vlastomil’s arm, and took Muriel’s hand, closing his eyes. 

When he opened them, they were in the contemplation tower, exactly as they’d been when they went to the magical realms. Vlastomil was in the pool in front of them, spluttering indignantly. 

Julian was with them. “Welcome back,” he said. “I take it you still haven’t found Thomas?”

“We’ve found him twice, actually,” Asra replied, reaching out to touch Thomas’s sleeping form. “We just haven’t been able to take him back. Mom and Dad wanted us to come home and get something to eat since they brought back Volta.”

“Your parents are wise,” Julian replied. “Go ahead and take him downstairs. Thomas is still alright, for now.”

Asra nodded and stood, even as Muriel hauled Vlastomil out of the fountain. “We’ll be back shortly,” he said, and the three of them headed down the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Nadia, Portia, and Julian listened as Asra and Muriel filled them in on what had happened since Asra's parents brought back Volta. Vlastomil was in a cell, the wards negating magic renewed by the magicians the Praetor hired and double-checked by Asra. He had also gone to speak with Volta, who was made comfortable in one of the guest rooms- even if she was still a prisoner, she had acted under duress, this time at least. Volta was elated that Vlastomil had been caught, but crestfallen when Asra told her that Thomas still hadn't been rescued. "Oh, I wish I could help more," she fretted, wringing her hands. 

"We're getting him back. Don't worry about that," Asra had replied.

Now they all sat in the contemplation tower, in the silence that followed the end of their tale. "I don't like you splitting up like that," Nadia said finally. "Valdemar and Vulgora are _dangerous-_ especially if they still have power that the Devil did not provide them, as Vlastomil does."

"But what can we do about it?" Muriel asked, not quite looking at them. "We don't know which one has Thomas, and it's a race against time to get him back before they think to ask him how to get to the Devil's realm. We can't let that happen."

"No, we can't," Nadia agreed. "That's why I propose that we go with you. You will go after one of them, while the three of us goes after the other. This way, you needn't split your group up, and we take care of both of the criminals at the same time."

Asra shared a look with Muriel, shaking his head slowly. "All due respect, Nadi, you're not magicians. You're not even fighters-"

Nadia cut him off, "I am skilled with swords, and I have my own magical abilities. I haven't used them in years- decades, perhaps- but I still remember how to use them. Portia has been learning magic from your parents for several years now, and Julian-" she cut herself off, glancing at him with a wry grin. "I'm sure we'll find some use for Julian."

Julian looked back at her somberly. "I don't like the idea of going into the magical realms," he admitted, "but I like the idea of letting them have Thomas even less. I think we should do it Nadia's way."

Despite his misgivings, Asra let out a breath of relief. "Then we'll all go back in together," he said, "and tell my parents our plan. I'm sure they'll appreciate not having to split us up. But you three should take care of anything that needs your immediate attention. I don't know how long we're going to be in there."

The three of them nodded and stood, and Asra stood with them with a glance at Muriel. "Ilya. I'll let you do what you need to, but can we talk first?"

Julian gave him an odd look, but said, "Of course." Asra glanced back at Muriel again, who gave a slight nod, and Asra went down the stairs with the others. 

Julian led him to his rooms, and closed the door behind them. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Asra didn't want to actually talk about this. But Muriel had a point. "I talked to Muriel about what happened with Thomas a bit," he said haltingly, "and he made me realize that we never actually resolved our issues."

Julian's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "What is there to resolve?" he asked, his tone more curious than anything. "We had a thing. It didn't work."

Sighing, Asra said, "You hurt me, Ilya. And I know I hurt you."

"I- I hurt you?" Now he sounded disturbed. "I thought- I thought it didn't mean anything to you-"

"I don't know _what_ it meant to me, but it obviously meant _something_." Asra looked away. "Muriel thinks that my hesitance to tell Thomas about your history with him has more to do with the fact that things ended badly and less to do with the fact that I thought Thomas was alright not having his memory. I don't know if he's right, but I respect him enough to consider it."

Julian was quiet for several seconds. "You _did_ hurt me," he said finally, "and I just assumed that hurt went one way. You flatly told me that you couldn't give me what I wanted and I didn't listen to you. I thought I could make you love me if I just tried hard enough. That was wrong of me, and once I was separated from the situation, I saw that. I owe you an apology, but I thought you wouldn't want to hear it."

"I owe you one, too," Asra said quietly. "I had no business going into that relationship knowing I wasn't going to take it seriously. I'm sorry."

He gave him a soft, genuine smile. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have pursued you after you made it clear you weren't interested. Can, uh, can we be friends again? Like we used to be?"

Asra returned the smile, and stretched out a hand to him. "I think that can be arranged. Thank you, Ilya. For this. And for helping to get Thomas back. It means a lot to me."

"Yes, well, he's my friend. I want him back, too." Julian took Asra's hand and they shook on their apologies before withdrawing. "Feel better?"

"A bit. I didn't realize I had been harboring these feelings. It's good to have cleared the air."

"Mm. Well, lets get back to the others. The sooner we get Thomas back and get the courtiers under control, the better."

"Agreed."

With that, they left Julian’s quarters, both seemingly lighter than they had been going in. Asra went back to the contemplation tower while Julian went in the other direction. Asra didn’t know what Julian had to take care of, but he hoped he’d do it quickly. 

Within an hour, the group was gathered again in the contemplation tower. Asra had spent the time waiting for them casting the spells over Thomas he had used to keep him alive when Asra brought him back to life, before he had regained consciousness. That had been a scary week for him, one he’d hoped he’d never have to relive. 

“Hey Ilya,” Asra said, as they settled down in the area.

“Hey Asra.”

“Since you’re going into the magical realms, how about I teach you some magic? Nothing too complicated, just enough to lend your magic to Nadi and Portia if they need it.”

“But I, ehrm, I don’t have any magic.”

“You do,” Asra insisted. “Everyone does. Not everyone has a _talent_ for it, but talent isn’t necessarily required- especially if you’re just lending your power to someone else.”

Julian glanced at Portia and Nadia, and then nodded. "If you think it will help them, I'll do it."

"I know it will help them." Asra extended a hand to him. "Take my hand. I think it will be easier to show you than to try to explain."

Despite the fact that Asra knew Julian trusted him, Julian couldn't keep a suspicious look off his face as he gingerly took Asra's hand. Asra let a tiny bit of magic flow into Julian, and Julian's eyes widened at the sensation, forgein but not entirely unpleasant. "Is that-" he asked, staring at their hands in wonder.

"It is. That's magic. You can feel something inside you responding to it, can't you?" Julian nodded, and Asra smiled. "Try to push back against me." Julian's face screwed up in concentration, and Asra felt a zap from him, unpracticed but distinctly Julian. "That's good," Asra encouraged. "Try to control it a bit better. Mimic the feeling I'm giving you."

Julian tried again, and this time the sensation was smoother, less of a zap and more of a caress. "Very good," Asra said, his smile widening. He let go of Julian's hand, and Julian pulled back, looking down at his palm, stunned. "It'll be stronger and easier in the magical realms, but I want you to practice that with them while you're going to whichever realm we decide you're going to go to. You may not have natural talent for magic but you've got plenty of it. Maybe once this is all over I'll teach you what little healing magic I know. It seems like such a waste that all that power is just dormant."

"Let's take things one step at a time, shall we?" Julian said, his voice serious. "For now... how do we get to the magical realms? Is there- is there something special we need to do?"

Asra shook his head, taking Portia's hand. Portia took the initiative and reached for Julian's, who grasped Nadia's tightly. Nadia squeezed Julian's hand in return, and completed the circle by taking Asra's other hand. "What about- er- what about Muriel?" Julian asked.

"I can get there myself." Muriel seemed annoyed at being addressed.

"Oh. I- well- alright." He turned his gaze back to Asra. 

Asra closed his eyes. "Close your eyes, and follow the sensations of my magic. I'll guide you there."

He sensed that his companions had obeyed him, and he reached down into himself for his magic, spreading it out to encompass all of them. Then he let himself sink down into his consciousness, keeping a firm hold on the three bright presences surrounding him. He felt Muriel's spirit with them, seperate, needing no guidance.

When he felt that they were where they needed to be, Asra opened his eyes to see his parents, sitting by a fire with Justice on the other side of it. His mother jumped to her feet and rushed to him, enveloping him in a hug. "Welcome back. Did you get food and rest?"

"Food, yes. A little bit of rest. We're fine."

"I see you brought some friends with you," Salim said, coming up to them. "Hello. Glad to have you, but- is it alright for you to be here, Countess? It's dangerous, and-"

"I'm here precisely because it's dangerous," Nadia cut him off. "Asra told us of your plan to split up to seek Vulgora and Valdemar. They are too dangerous for only two magicians to take on, even if they're separated. This way, Portia, Julian, and I can go after one, while the four of you go after the other."

Aisha and Salim looked at each other. At Asra’s nod, Salim said, “Then we welcome the help, of course. The only question now is who goes where?”

“Valdemar is the more dangerous of the two,” Asra said, “and I think that it’s more likely that Thomas is with them, rather than with Vulgora. I think my group should go after Valdemar, while you three go after Vulgora.”

Julian seemed to slump with relief. “I’d rather deal with Vulgora than Valdemar, to be perfectly honest. But you need to promise me that you’ll be careful. Valdemar is a monster.”

“We’ve figures that out,” Aisha said, dry amusement in her voice.

Julian made an unhappy noise. “You don’t understand. The things they made us do during the plague- it wasn’t good. They insisted that it was all in the name of finding a cure, but- but they were gleeful about the death toll rising. They enjoyed cutting bodies apart. I suspected that the autopsies were for their amusement, not serving any real purpose but to let them get their hands bloody.” He took a serrated breath. “So I will say again- promise me you’ll be careful.”

No one quite knew what to say to any of that. Muriel was the one who spoke. “We will be. All the more reason to get Thomas away from them.”

All the color drained from Asra’s face. “You don’t think they’d hurt him,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Julian shook his head. “Not while they still need him. If they get what they want from him, though, or discover he can’t do it after all, I have no doubt they’ll kill him.”

“We have to get to him.” Asra’s voice was tight and fearful. 

“We will, Asra,” Nadia said solemnly. 

“We’ll deal with Vulgora,” Portia said. “They were always super rude to me. It’ll be nice to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

“Remember what we’ve taught you so far,” Aisha said. “We’ve done some self-defense in passing. Do you remember it?”

“I sure do.” She smiled brightly. “Don’t worry about us. Focus on rescuing Thomas, alright?”

They nodded, and Justice chose to speak up. “I can prevent time from advancing here. I suggest you make sure you’re completely rested and recharged before you go. Vulgora won’t be easy to deal with and Valdemar certainly won’t be easy to deal with. I can also send you all directly to the Tower and Death’s realms.”

“Just out of curiosity, why didn’t Temperance or the Magician do that?” Salim asked.

Justice shrugged. “My best guess is that the courtiers were still in transit when you came to each of them. They didn’t know for sure where they’d end up. I know where they are now, I sent them to those realms myself.”

“Fair enough,” Aisha said, going back to the fire. “Come, let’s rest as Justice suggests.”


	10. Chapter 10

Thomas sat on the ground, trying his hardest not to call attention to himself. He watched his captors warily, knowing they were dangerous, knowing they could turn on him at any moment.

They were more focused on each other, though. He didn’t know where they were, and he suspected they didn’t know, either, if how they were arguing was anything to go by. “This is absurd, Valdemar!” Vulgora hissed. “Are we supposed to just keep running while they take us out one by one?!”

“As long as we have Thomas, we’re safe from them,” Valdemar replied serenely. “You saw how Asra immediately backed down when I threatened Thomas’s life.” They frowned. “But there must be a more efficient way of traveling through the realms. They magicians obviously have someone helping them move through the realms. If we can figure out how they’re doing it, maybe we could go straight to the Devil rather than traipsing through the realms and hoping we come to it eventually.”

Thomas had no idea how Asra and the others were traveling so fast between realms, but he wasn’t about to volunteer any information at all. He wasn’t at all willing to make this easier on them. Thomas couldn’t fight back against the thrall Valdemar had him under; if they got to the Devil’s realm, and Thomas could really unbind the Devil as they claimed, well... he didn’t know how to do that. He wasn’t sure if that would prevent the order from working on him, or if his subconscious knew and would take over. 

Asra would never challenge Valdemar directly if he thought Thomas’s life was in danger from it. His only hope was that he _couldn’t_ do what they expected of him, that his lack of knowledge of the subject would save him. 

He didn’t know how they’d handle being chased like this, though, and watched warily as the two former courtiers seemed to debate their dilemma. His blood ran cold as Vulgora turned their gaze on him. “Thomas has been to the Devil’s realm. Why don’t we just ask him where it is?”

Valdemar grinned as they looked at him. “That’s a good idea, coming from you. Well, how about it, Thomas? How do we get there?”

His whole body began to itch, the compulsion trying to take him over. He resisted. “I don’t know how,” he said through gritted teeth. 

Valdemar crouched down beside him, head tilted at an unnatural angle. “Oh? Do tell. You did go to the Devil’s realm to bind him, did you not?”

“It’s... it’s not that simple,” he gasped out. He knew they could see him struggling with the compulsion, but if he could beat it... “Asra guided me. I don’t remember the way.”

Vulgora scowled. “How convenient for you. He’s lying, Valdemar.”

“I’m not. It was years ago and I barely remember what happened at all. I would need Asra to help me figure how to find it again.”

Valdemar sighed, standing. “If he’s lying, he’s able to override my spell. I may have to brainwash him entirely.” 

The thought made Thomas choke on his fear. “No, don’t,” he pleaded, eyes flooding with tears. He couldn’t be forced to attack Asra again. “Please, please, I’ll do my best, just- just please don’t brainwash me. I can’t- you can’t make me attack Asra again. You _can’t._ Please, _please-_ “

“I think I like the sound of someone begging me.” Their grin grew wider. “I thought all of this started because you were angry with him.”

“I wasn’t! I was confused and upset but I wasn’t angry, and that doesn’t change that I love-“

“Oh, alright,” Vulgora interrupted, mimicking his voice, mocking him. “Well, what’re you waiting for? Take us to the Devil’s realm! Now!”

Thomas rose to his feet, shaking, terrified, but the thought of being forced to hurt Asra terrifying him more. “Take my hands,” he managed to rasp. Neither hesitated; Valdemar’s icy fingers closed over one of his, and Vulgora took the other in a crushing grip. He wanted to tell them to loosen their hold; it inflicted just enough pain to distract him. He didn’t know how they would react if he did.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to. “You’re not going to win any prizes for breaking his fingers, Vulgora.”

Vulgora chortled. “Since when do you care if I break anything of his?”

“Normally I wouldn’t, you’re right. Surely you remember how hard we had to concentrate to get to the realms. Distract him enough that he fails, Vulgora. I dare you.”

Vulgora muttered darkly to themselves, but their grasp on Thomas’s hand slackened just enough that he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, not knowing how far his captors’ patience extended, he closed his eyes, reaching down into himself, seeking his magic and trying to remember how Asra had guided him to the Devil’s realm all those years ago. He heard an echo of Asra’s voice, guiding him: _follow the ties that link the Devil to our world..._ In moments, Thomas felt a now-familiar tug on his spirit, felt his magic swirl up from his very being, engulfing them.

And then another’s magic surrounded him, violently yanking his magic off-course. The former courtiers felt the shift as Thomas struggled to hold on, to keep his destination in focus. “What’s happening?” Valdemar demanded sharply.

“Someone’s interfering with my magic!” Thomas cried, struggling with the force pulling on his magic. He heard Vulgora grunt, felt their crushing grip tighten on his hand again, as if that would stop what was happening. He could feel Vulgora being ripped away from them; fighting the instinct to tighten his hold on them, his fingers went slack, releasing both of them. This was his best chance to escape them. The force yanking at them wasn’t Asra, but if it was friendly, it might pull him to safety.

A cry bubbled up from Thomas’s throat as Vulgora’s gauntleted hand ripped away from his, tearing deep gouges in his fingers. He thought he felt Valdemar lose their grip on him too, but as the foreign magic tried to pull him away, Valdemar’s grip tightened, and their other hand clamped down over his arm, pulling him along with them.

And then, suddenly, everything stopped.

Thomas found himself lying prone on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his shop. He felt Valdemar shift next to him, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them: “Where are we?”

“I think we’re in Death’s realm,” Valdemar answered, their voice surprised and lacking the venom Thomas had become accustomed to. “What are we doing in Death’s realm, magician?”

“I wish I knew.” Thomas sat up with a groan, looking around. It looked like his shop, but for the fact that it was snowed in, frost rimming the countertops and shelves. He rose to his feet, groaning softly. “Before you ask, no. I have no idea what separated us from Vulgora and threw us so wildly off-course.”

“That felt like it was world’s stronger than you, anyway.” The disdain was back in their voice. “Well. I don’t want to be here. I want to be in the Devil’s realm. Take us there, now.”

“Are you kidding?” Thomas argued flatly. “After what just happened, you want to try again?” Thomas shook his head. “No. We don’t know who was interfering with my magic and we don’t know why, or where Vulgora was taken. I’m not doing that again.”

Valdemar’s unsettling grin grew. “Perhaps you’re right. I may have a safer path to the Devil’s realm, now that I think about it. If you don’t want me to compel you against your will, come with me willingly.”

“What are you planning?” Thomas demanded. Despite his harsh tone, he went to them. 

Valdemar gave a hissing chuckle. “That’s for me to know and you to figure out, if you’re not as dumb as you’ve convinced me of. Come along, now.”

Thomas’s mind raced. He didn’t know if he wanted to go along with Valdemar- in fact, he was certain he didn’t want to go along with Valdemar. But he didn’t see that he had a choice. He hadn’t figured out how to break their spell over him, and being compelled to act was a profoundly unpleasant experience. Doing his best to hide his discomfort, he nodded once, and obediently fell into step behind Valdemar as they went to the door of the shop, opened it, and stepped out into the inky blackness beyond.

* * *

“It is done,” Justice said wearily, “but I interrupted the Fool in an attempt to transport the three of them elsewhere. I believe that they demanded he take them directly to the Devil’s realm, which means that if he wasn’t able to save himself from my magic, you need to find him quickly.”

“Asra,” Nadia said, “can you tell where he is?”

Asra focused for a moment before nodding. “Death’s realm. Valdemar has him. _Damn._ ”

“We’d have to fight to get him back regardless of who he ended up with,” Julian said.

“That’s not a comfort, Ilya.” He sighed. “I guess we still have no choice, do we? Vulgora needs to be captured. Are we doing this as we initially planned?”

“I think that would be best,” Nadia said. She sounded unsure. 

“What if we all went after Valdemar, got Thomas to safety, then went after Vulgora?” Portia suggested.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Salim said, “although it is tempting. Would we be able to handle Vulgora if they escaped the Tower and came to find us while we were already engaged with Valdemar?”

Thoughtful silence met him. Justice cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, I can communicate with the Tower. They say that they have Vulgora trapped, and it will take more intelligence than they believe Vulgora to possess to escape. I believe that it would be in your best interests to seek out Valdemar and Thomas together. Let the Tower deal with Vulgora for now.”

They all looked at each other. “There will be enough of us to handle Vulgora if they free themselves,” Aisha said softly. “Getting to Thomas is far and away the most urgent task now.”

Asra nodded. “Agreed. Justice, can you send all of us to Death’s realm?”

“I can and I shall. Good luck, all of you.”

With that, Justice’s magic wrapped around them. Everything distorted, and Asra fought a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. When it cleared, Asra opened his eyes to a vision of the shop, iced over. He shivered as he stared at the snow drifts settling and swirling against the walls and counters. "Well. This is depressing," he muttered. "Did everyone make it?"

He quickly took stock of his companions, quickly discovering that everyone had made it through the spell. "Are you tracking him?" Nadia asked. 

Asra nodded, gaze fixing on the door. "Yes. He's been here very recently. They're moving away from us, but I think something's wrong. It feels like... like he's focused on actually guiding them." He frowned sharply, shaking his head. "We need to catch up to them, quickly. If they're compelling him to lead them to the Devil, we might have very, _very_ little time to save him."

Nadia nodded, lifting a hand and plucking a sword out of thin air. "Lead on, Asra," she said. The others murmured their agreement, and Asra opened the shop door to the inky blackness beyond.

As they walked, Asra tried to communicate with Death. He tuned out everyone and everything else. If he could get Death's attention...

_You needn't get my attention,_ came an echoing voice from all around them. All of them startled except Asra, looking around in confusion. The voice laughed merrily. _I am also not taking shape in front of you at the moment, so you needn't look around for me. I'm doing my best to confound Valdemar's attempts to get out of the realm. It helps that Thomas has never been here and doesn't know how to navigate my realm. But you need to catch up to them. I will help you, but you have to reach them first._

"Death," Asra said, gaze flicking around the darkness. "Doesn't Valdemar know how to navigate the realm?"

_They do, which is why I'm trying to confuse them. They are... hard to bemuse. But they've been going in circles since leaving the manifestation of your shop, and it won't be long before Valdemar realizes my subtrefuge. I don't know what they'll do when they realize I've been interfering with them, but it won't be pretty. Get to them first._

"We plan on it," Asra replied, closing his eyes and seeking out his link to Thomas. He was so close now, he could feel Thomas again, without Temperance's guidance. Finally, he opened his eyes. "That way," he said, and started moving with purpose. Again, his companions started following him.

They moved quickly, just slower than a run. Asra led them true through the darkness, and soon they were in sight. The group fanned out, rushing to surround Valdemar and Thomas. Valdemar stopped as they circled them, sighed, and flicked their hand in Thomas's direction. Thomas's face contorted, his limbs straining against the unspoken command to go to them. When he was within reach, Valdemar reached out and grabbed their arm, their hand going to Thomas's throat. "Think about this before you do it, magician," they said threateningly. "I hold all the cards here."

Asra scowled. "You don't. Kill him and you fail in your plans."

"I'm having a case of deja vu. It seems like we've had this conversation before. You weren't willing to risk it before." Their fingers tightened on Thomas's throat, and he gasped. Asra fell back a step. "There, you see? Now, I will allow you to join us in the Devil's realm so you can see his return, but you're going to behave yourself, or-" Asra's gaze fixed on a point behind Valdemar and Thomas, his eyes widening. "Oh, what now? You don't honestly expect me to-"

Valdemar's words cut off in a gasp as light flashed over Thomas's body, throwing Valdemar back. Thomas stumbled away from them, hand going to his throat. A skeletal hand gripped Valdemar's from behind. _Let's see how you like it, hm?_ Death said in a chilling voice. _Has the Fool been harmed?_

Asra and Julian converged on Thomas, Asra's magic sweeping over him as Julian ran his hands over Thomas's body, feeling for any injuries and looking into his eyes intently. Asra looked up at Julian, who nodded, and Asra said, "He seems to be fine." He closed his eyes. "It's over. We can go home."

_Not quite. You still need to get Vulgora from the Tower_.

"We can discuss Vulgora when Valdemar is secure," Nadia said, as she and Asra's parents advanced on them. "And this time," Nadia hissed as she sheathed her sword and grabbed Valdemar, "you're not getting out."

Valdemar gave her a wide, unsettling grin. "We shall see about that, Countess."

Death moved aside to let Aisha and Salim bind Valdemar's hands behind their back with bands of magic. Asra put an arm around Thomas's shoulders, Portia coming to give Thomas a hug. Muriel hung back, although Asra could see the relief etched on his face. "Let's get you home," he whispered in Thomas's ear, kissing his temple lightly. Thomas clung to him. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'm- I'm sorry-"

"Hush. We can talk about it once you're home and you've rested." His gaze flicked over the group. "Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

Two hours later, Asra and Thomas laid in bed together, in their room at the palace. The first thing Asra had done when they got back to the contemplation tower was to ask Portia to have a light meal brought back to their room. Thomas was weak; he had been in the realms for several days, and Asra had to half-carry him down the stairs and back to their room, where he sat them both at the table in the corner to wait for their meal. Asra opened his mouth to talk several times, and his voice died in his throat each time. Thomas was hunched over, eyes darting around the room, looking exhausted and haunted. Asra needed to ask him questions, but he was afaid of the answer. 

Finally, he couldn't wait any longer. "Did they hurt you?" he asked quietly.

Thomas shook his head. "They threatened me plenty, but they never acted on it. I just... I don't want to be here. I don't want to be near them, and Vulgora is still free."

"Vulgora is _not_ free. The Tower is holding them captive until we get to them, and the courtiers are in cells that negate magic now. You're safe, Thomas."

"No, I'm not. I don't know if I ever will be again." Thomas hugged himself, and Asra wrapped his arms around him. "I never want to go back to the realms again," he said, the words a half-sob.

"You won't have to," Asra said soothingly. "There's nothing in the realms that's so important that you _have_ to go."

"I don't want you to go, either." Thomas clung to him again. 

Asra stroked his hair. "We can talk more about this once you've had time to heal."

"They didn't hurt me."

Asra fought to control his emotions. "Yes, they did," he whispered, and bent to kiss Thomas's forehead. Thomas didn't contradict him again.

A few minutes later, Portia brought them the food and took her leave of them. Thomas picked at his meal sullenly, and Asra steeled himself. His heart hurt at how badly Thomas had been traumatized, but... "You need to eat something, my love," he said gently. "You've been without food and water for days. Please eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"That's- that's fine. Drink some water, then, see if it brings your appetite back." Thomas eyed him, but did as he was asked, and Asra did his best to hide his relief. After a few sips of water, Thomas picked up his fork again and took a few bites, more than Asra was expecting at this point.

Asra didn't push him to eat more when he put his fork down again and pushed the plate away. He'd eaten about half of the food on the plate; it wasn't enough, but Asra didn't want him making himself sick, either. "Come," he said instead, "let's lay down for a while." Asra could see the exhaustion in Thomas's eyes, and he went with him to the bed gratefully. Asra laid down and opened his arms to Thomas, stroking his hair as he settled next to him. "Do you want to talk about our argument?" Asra asked gently.

"There's nothing to talk about." Thomas buried his face in Asra's chest, clinging to him. 

"I think there is. I- I'm sorry. I didn't tell you about your apprenticeship to Julian because I genuinely didn't think it was worth bringing up. It wasn't borne of jealousy or anything like that, but I did talk to Julian and cleared the air with him a bit better. If you wanted to renew your apprenticeship to him, you have my full support, alright? It's not an issue. It wasn't then, and it's not now."

Thomas cuddled closer. "Now I feel stupid."

"Don't, please," Asra said, coming as close to begging as he would allow himself. "You didn't know any better. It looked bad. I know. You did nothing wrong."

"I did. I _did_. It's my own fault I got kidnapped. If I hadn't gone off without-"

"No, no no no, listen to me-"

Abruptly, the door to their bedroom banged open. Asra rolled Thomas over him and leaped to his feet, a spell at his fingertips before he even registered who was in the room with him. Sparks crackled from his fingers as he sent a bolt of icy lightning at the intruders, who dodged out of the way. " _Nadia!_ " Asra screamed. "Mom! Dad!" Behind him, Thomas was rising as well, and it was only then that Asra realized what was going on. "How did you-?!"

"You think we're going to tell you that, you little-" Vulgora snarled. 

"Vulgora! Focus!" Valdemar snapped over them, stalking forward. Vulgora lunged for the table and snatched up Asra's knife, brandishing it at him. Asra's eyes darted from one of them to the other, unwilling to move out from in front of Thomas. Asra chose to focus his attention on Vulgora; they had armed themselves, after all. He had no doubt that Valdemar could do serious damage with nothing but magic, but that blade was sharp and serrated and could be deadly if Vulgora stabbed one of them with it. 

In the next moment, Asra sent another bolt of lightning at the former pontifex, then commanded the water left in their glasses to bend to his will. The water rose from the glasses and froze over, stiffening into razor-sharp spikes. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the spikes at Valdemar and Vulgora. Valdemar lifted a hand, magic rippling out from them, and the icicle headed for them melted mid-air, sloshing down to the floor. 

Vulgora smashed the spike flung at them, and Asra adjusted his magic, grabbing hold of the shards in mid-air and flinging them at the former courtiers again. Hundreds of tiny needles of ice pelted them, but it wasn't enough. Vulgora grunted and ignored them as they struck their skin and armor, burrowing in, grabbing Asra by the wrist. Asra yanked back before realizing that he needed to lunge forward, break their hold on him. He raised the arm Vulgora was holding and pushed into them, snapping his arm forward. Vulgora's gauntleted hands left angry red welts where they scratched him, but he was free. "Thomas!" he shouted. "Run!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Thomas responded. Asra couldn't spare him anymore attention, then, because Valdemar's magic was wrapping around him. Just as he was about to raise his magic again, shield himself from whatever Valdemar was doing, he felt Thomas's magic instead, licking over his skin like a caress, forcing Valdemar's magic back. 

Valdemar hissed in irritation, aimed for Thomas, and let loose a bolt of magic at him. It struck him in the chest and flared out over him, toppling him back onto the bed, senseless. Asra screamed his name as Vulgora grabbed him again. "Valdemar, hurry!" Vulgora snapped, hauling Asra away from the bed, away from Thomas. As Asra struggled, Valdemar opened a magical doorway. Darkness swirled in a void on the other side, and it was then that Asra realized that they were after _him_ , not Thomas.

His mind raced as he summoned all of the power available to him. The only reason he could think of that they would go after him and not Thomas was to use him _against_ Thomas. His magic flared out from him, forcing the courtiers back, but as soon as it faded, Vulgora's fingers closed over his arm again, cold, their clawtips digging into his bicep painfully. "Thomas!" he called out. "Don't come after-"

"Oh, shut up!" Vulgora snarled, dragging him into the portal. Asra did the only thing he could think to stop this, grabbing hold of the bedpost and holding on for dear life. He felt Thomas's hands on his own, Thomas's magic flickering over him like a protective shroud, trying to strengthen him. It wasn't enough. Valdemar grabbed Asra's wrist, prying his grip from the bedpost as Vulgora dragged them both through the portal. The last thing Asra saw before darkness closed in over him was Thomas's stricken, tearful face, screaming Asra's name.

He tumbled through the darkness, not sure where this portal would take them. He focused on his gate, trying to break away from the courtiers, but both Vulgora and Valdemar had a firm, unrelenting grip on him. He stopped struggling abruptly; he did _not_ want these two having access to his gate, and that was what was going to happen if he was successful in redirecting them to it. Instead he fought to break free of Vulgora's merciless grip. If he could hit the ground running, maybe he could still get away. 

He yanked away from Vulgora and the former pontifex released him, too focused on their own rapid descent through the realms. All at once he hit the ground on his back, knocking the breath from his lungs. Panic seized him for a moment as he laid there, stunned. They had dragged his _body_ into the realms along with them. Coughing, Asra rolled over onto his hands and knees, rising as quickly as he could. 

It wasn't fast enough. Again, Vulgora's clawtips dug into his arm, and he stilled, putting up his free hand. He knew better than to fight them in the realms. His chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath and slow his racing heart. "Good magician," Vulgora panted, gripping him painfully. "Alright, Valdemar, we have him. Are you going to tell me what we're going to do with him now, or are you still being ridiculously cryptic about it?"

"I'm surprised at you, Vulgora," came Valdemar's creepy, hissing voice. "Kidnapping Thomas didn't work, mostly because he didn't know the way to the Devil's realm. But Thomas tipped his hand by telling us that Asra guided him there. _Asra_ knows."

"Asra can't free the Devil!"

"True, but Thomas will do _anything_ to keep his precious lover safe. Including freeing the Devil." Valdemar smiled in Asra's face as he went pale. "We were on our way there when Asra and his little band of misfits caught up to us. Go there now and wait, and it will be only a matter of time before Thomas gets there, too."

Asra took a deep breath, fighting down panic. This was exactly what the Star was afraid would happen. But... "How did you escape?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.

Vulgora gave a snarling smile. "You underestimated me," they hissed in his face. "You should've never left me alone in the Tower. I know you practically worship them, witch, but the Arcana aren't all-powerful."

"I don't worship them." Asra's voice was stony. Now he wanted to check on the Tower, but he knew he wasn't going to get away from them. "They don't _need_ to be worshipped. What did you do?"

"None of your business," they clipped. "In any case, it was easy to get back to Vesuvia once I broke free and break _Valdemar_ out of your pretty little prison."

"Just Valdemar? Why not Vlastomil?"

"Vlastomil is a liability," Valdemar replied, "almost as much as Volta was. He never really had any ambition. He was happy as long as he could tend to his precious worms."

Asra didn't like that answer. He didn't know why they were being so chatty now when they'd told them quite bluntly that their plans were none of their business before. The only reason he could think of that they would take this attitude _now_ was that they felt secure in their victory. He took a deep breath. "I'm not going to take you to the Devil's realm," he said flatly.

"Oh, but you are. We may not know each other well, magician, but I know you're not suicidal. You've got too much to live for."

"I'm not," he said through gritted teeth. "Kill me and you'll _never_ get Thomas's cooperation."

"Oh, believe me, I know that if Thomas doesn't think you're safe and unharmed, we're not getting his cooperation. That doesn't mean you actually have to be safe and unharmed."

"What-?"

Valdemar gestured beside him. He tensed, turning in time to see an exact copy of him take form, looking back at him. "He'll be able to see through that easily," Asra scoffed, and then paused, eyes widening ever so slightly. His copy spoke at the same time he did, same exact words, same exact tone.

"You were saying?" Valdemar seemed bored. "Now then. If you're not going to take us to the Devil's realm then there's no reason to keep you alive. Are you going to cooperate, or am I going to kill you?"

Asra gritted his teeth, but inclined his head. "Fine. You win."

"I knew you were a reasonable person." Valdemar's hand flicked, and the copy vanished in a puff of smoke. "Now then. Take us to the Devil's realm."

"I will," he said, "but I can't take you directly to the Devil. I wasn't able to do that three years ago and I highly doubt that's changed, and I'm not willing to risk my magic going wrong for you."

Vulgora cracked their knuckles. "Looks like he still needs some _persuasion_ ," they hissed. 

Valdemar held up a restraining hand. "That's enough, Vulgora. I believe him. Take us as close as you can, magician. We will find our way from there."

Asra inhaled deeply, exhaled, and stretched out his hands. The former courtiers each took one, and linked their hands as well. Asra closed his eyes, searching for the thread that had led him to the Devil's realm three years ago. It took more time than was comfortable, as he could feel Vulgora's hand tightening on his fingers as the seconds ticked by. But then he saw it: it was dull, almost completely void of magic, but the trail was there. He reached out and grabbed it with his magic, guiding them out of Death's realm and into the space between.

And then they were in the Devil's realm. Asra opened his eyes, heart thudding in time with the familiar sense of dread and awe that he'd experienced the first time he was there. He shivered as the courtiers let go of his hands to look around. "What's all of this?" Vulgora snapped, gesturing at the long lines of iron gates stretching out into infinity in every direction. 

"This is the Devil's realm," Asra replied, laying the sarcasm on thick to hide his fear. "I told you I wouldn't be able to take us directly there. This is closer than I got when we bound him, anyway."

Valdemar clucked their tongue, looking around curiously. "The atmosphere here is just delightful," they crooned. Then their red gaze fixed on Asra again. "Do you remember the way from here?"

"I remember that we need to go into one of these elevators. I don't remember which."

"I guess you better start looking then, shouldn't you?"

Valdemar's grin didn't waver as Asra stared them down. "Thomas found the way," he said, for the first time feeling hopeless. 

"How did Thomas find the way?"

"He- he's immune to the Devil's illusions. I-"

"The Devil is a fancy rock right now, is he not? Surely he can't maintain those illusions as he is." Valdemar gestured to the elevators. "Start looking. The moment I think you've outlived your usefulness is the moment you're not going to live anymore, so I suggest you make yourself useful."

Asra swallowed hard, then went to a gate, running his fingers over the metal. Then he took a deep breath, and moved onto the next, praying for Thomas to get help and get to him quickly. He didn't know how long he'd be able to stall Valdemar's threats, but he knew that time was running out.


	12. Chapter 12

Thomas watched in horror, frozen, as Asra was pulled into the portal and it snapped shut. His gaze fixed across the room at Nadia and Asra's parents, looking at him with horror that mirrored his own. "What happened?" Nadia demanded, striding into the room, hands going to Thomas's shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I- Asra protected me-" And then what had just happened hit him. "How did this happen?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"I don't know," Nadia said, striding away from him, "but I intend to find out."

Wordlessly, Aisha, Salim, and Thomas followed her out of the room and down the halls of the palace, to the dungeon. A couple guards were tending to three others with Julian and Portia at their shoulders. Julian stood when he saw them. "Countess. It seems we weren't fast enough in getting Vulgora under control," he said, gesturing at the injured guards. "Vulgora did this, broke Valdemar out."

Nadia's eyes snapped to one of the guards on the floor, looking up at her shame-facedly. "Why wasn't an alarm sounded?" she demanded hotly.

"There- there wasn't any time, Milady. One moment all was well, and the next, the pontifex was-" He winced on the words. "I'm sorry..."

"Portia," Nadia said, "find Muriel and meet us at the contemplation tower. Julian, come with me. We're getting him back. This has gone on for far too long."

Without waiting to see that she was obeyed, Nadia turned on her heel and stalked out of the dungeon, purpose in her footsteps. Julian rose to follow as Portia darted off, and followed Nadia and the others. Thomas's stomach twisted in knots. He knew he had to go into the realms. He couldn't leave Asra at their tender mercies. He knew well enough the kind of psychological torture they were capable of. But the thought of going to the realms filled him with so much fear and anxiety that he wasn't sure he could do it.

Nadia didn't stop or slow her pace until they'd reached the contemplation tower. As they piled into the chamber, she turned to Thomas and put her hands on his shoulders again. "I understand if you want to stay behind," she said gently, "and I'm sure Asra would understand, as well- he may even prefer that."

"I know," he said weakly. "But I can't just stand by and do nothing. They were able to take him because I froze up. He went after me when I disappeared. I can't just sit around and do _nothing_. I need to go with you."

For a moment, Thomas thought Nadia was going to order him to stay behind, and he wasn't sure if such a command would be welcome or not. Instead she nodded, turning away from him. "It might be best for you to come with, after all. You're the most powerful magician we have. But I need you to stay out of Vulgora and Valdemar's reach. Defend yourself if you have to, but let us deal with them. Focus on getting to Asra and getting him free."

As she spoke, Portia and Muriel burst into the room. Muriel's angry gaze fell on Thomas; then something like pity crossed his features, and he turned his attention to Nadia. "How long has it been?"

"Ten minutes, fifteen at the most. We're getting him back, Muriel. I promise you that. Thomas is going to get to him and defend him while we take out the courtiers."

"I'll help him defend Asra." 

Thomas was acutely aware that Muriel didn't like him, that he tolerated him for Asra's sake, and wasn't sure what to make of his willingness to work with him. He swallowed hard, unwilling to say anything that might make Muriel withdraw his offer to help him. "Thank you, Muriel."

"Don't thank me yet," he said grimly. "I'm just about useless when it comes to fighting but... I'll try. You focus on defending us while I work at freeing Asra."

"That works for me," Thomas replied, just as grim. He was shaking, and clenched his hands into fists to stop it. Then he addressed the others. "I- I can't take us to the Devil's realm," he said. "I tried before, and something stopped me."

"That was Justice," Nadia said, as the seven of them settled down around the pool in the center of the room. "You should have no such interference this time."

"Still, I- I'd rather err on the side of caution. We can go to the Magician's realm, see if they'll be able to send us there."

Nadia opened her mouth to respond when Aisha put a hand over hers. "This is the safest route to go," she said, quiet but firm. "They'll be able to tell us if Asra is hurt or under duress, like Thomas was."

Nadia sighed and nodded, reaching out to take Thomas's hand as well. One by one, the group joined seated themselves in a circle and joined hands, until Thomas could feel a shock of their combined magic running through him. He might not know how to navigate the realms well, he thought to himself, but he could certainly get to the Magician’s realm. He closed his eyes, letting himself follow his magic into the magical realms, guiding himself and his friends to the sandy beach of the Magician’s realm. 

He felt the breeze and heard the waves lapping gently on the beach as he opened his eyes. The others were with him, as he had planned. The Magician stood before them, his expression grave. “I’m glad to see you safe and whole,” they said quietly, “but it seems you and Asra have simply swapped places.”

Thomas regarded him in fear. “Is Asra alright?”

“He is as of yet unharmed, if that’s what you intend to ask. I don’t think I need to tell you that the longer he’s left with the former courtiers, the greater the chance he won’t be in that state for long.”

“Can you send us there?”

“I can send you to the barrier between our realms. You’ll need to move quickly, but this is the best I can do.” They paused, and when they spoke next, their words seemed pained. “You must not do what they want you to, Thomas. The Devil must not escape his bindings. If it is between keeping the Devil bound and Asra’s life, you must choose to keep the Devil bound.”

“I can’t do that,” Thomas whispered.

“You can. You _must._ Asra will expect that choice to be made and will prefer to die than to see you free the Devil.”

“No one’s going to die today,” Nadia said firmly, laying a hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “We will rescue Asra, and we will do it without unbinding the Devil.” Thomas looked over his companions and saw the same determination in all of their faces.

The Magician nodded gravely. “I pray you’re right. Go now. You need to move quickly if you’re to have any hope of rescuing him unharmed.”

Without waiting for a response, the area around them shimmered and fell away like paint dripping from a canvas. Thomas’s vision distorted; when he could see again, he almost wished he couldn’t. They stood in a blasted out basin before a river of thick liquid, deep and wide. He blinked several times, not quite comprehending how it looked like all of the colors were monochrome and inverted. “What is this?” Julian asked in awe. “It looks like- like a mechanical portrait before it’s been developed.”

They looked around, searching for a way across the river. A coppery smell wafted towards him from the river, and he heard Muriel murmur, “Is that blood?”

Julian sniffed the air. “It is,” he said, brow creased in dismay. “Isn’t there any other way? I, uh, I don’t want to sound like a coward but I really don’t want to cross a river of blood.”

“You don’t sound like a coward,” Salim said, his voice somewhere between reassuring and doubtful. “I don’t want to cross this river, either. But it doesn’t look like there’s any other way past. We need to cross it.”

“But how?” Nadia asked, walking up to the edge of the flow and looking up and down the banks. “I see no bridge or boat.”

“I might be able to make a bridge across,” Thomas said hesitantly, “but I’m going to need help to do it. There’s a lot of river here to cross. I’m not powerful enough to span it myself.”

Portia immediately put a hand on his arm, staring out over the river. “Just let me know when,” she said. “I’ll lend you my magic.” Quickly, the others gathered around him, hold his hand, his arm, his shoulder. He felt their magic flow into him, his hair standing on end as he directed that magic into the ground, forcing the rock beneath the river up from the bottom. Blood cascaded down the sides in sheets, leaving a bridge of earth at their feet. 

“Hurry,” Thomas croaked, already shaking from the effort of holding the bridge in place. “I can’t maintain this for long. Run!”

The group broke away from him, dashing across the bridge as fast as they could go. Thomas brought up the rear, slowed by the concentration he needed to maintain to keep them all from tumbling into the river beneath them. Muriel glanced over his shoulder, saw Thomas lagging, and went back for him. Thomas was about to object when Muriel ordered, “Don’t squirm. Keep your focus on the bridge,” and picked him up. Thomas made an indignant noise, and part of the bridge collapsed into the blood behind them. “Focus!” Muriel snapped. Thomas recentered himself, the magic his companions were feeding him stretching out before them. Muriel’s footsteps quickened to catch up with the others. 

In a few minutes, Muriel stepped off the bridge and set Thomas on his feet. Relieved, Thomas let go of the magic flowing from him, and stumbled; Nadia steadied him. “I’m fine,” he said thickly, taking a shuddering breath. He looked up, and startled. “When did we get so close to the castle?”

“It felt like it was getting closer as we crossed the river,” Portia said, and put a hand on his shoulder as well. “Are you okay? Let’s rest for a few minutes.” Aisha and Muriel protested, and Portia said over them, “Just for a few minutes! That took a lot out of him, and all of us were feeding the bridge as well! We’re not going to do Asra any good if we’re all exhausted by the time we get there!”

“Pasha’s right,” Julian said firmly. “We need to stop and catch our breath.” Salim put a hand on Aisha’s shoulder, and she leaned against him, nodding tiredly. The pair went off to a twisted tree a few feet away from the rest. 

One by one, the group sank to the strange ground, except Portia. Her gaze kept drawing back to the castle. Finally, after sitting for only a few minutes, she rose and headed for the castle. “Pasha!” Julian snapped. “What’re you doing? None of us are going alone! Come back!”

“Relax,” she called back, not breaking her stride. “I’m just going to see what’s what up ahead. We shouldn't go into this blind if we don't have to." Sighing, Julian rose and jogged after her. "You are such a worry wart!" Portia protested, but slowed to let him catch up to her.

Thomas watched them go for a few seconds before turning to Muriel. "Thanks," he said, feeling awkward. "For going back for me."

Muriel made a face and looked away. "We'd have been dumped in a river of blood if you lost your concentration trying to keep up," he muttered, "and Asra would blame me if _you_ ended up drowning because you couldn't keep up."

Thomas shook his head. "Asra wouldn't have blamed you for _anything_ ," he insisted. "You're his best friend."

"No. Not anymore." Thomas thought Muriel's lips twitched upward for a moment as he spoke. "You are. And I- I'm glad. That he has you." He sighed, looking back over the river. "I've never liked you," he said after a moment. "I thought you were bad for him. I still think you're bad for him- that you're bad for each other. But no matter how much trouble you get each other into, you face it together. You never abandon each other." He looked back to Thomas. "I would have understood if you wanted to stay behind when we came out to rescue him. But you didn't. You didn't hesitate to come with us. Maybe you're not as bad for him as I thought you were."

Thomas gave him a small smile, looking away self-consciously. "I love him," he said simply, "and it's my fault he's been kidnapped. He was protecting me. I should've done something to-"

"It is not."

"Pardon?"

"It's not your fault he's been kidnapped. It's no one's fault but the courtiers. Don't let them off easy for this by blaming yourself."

Thomas blinked. "I didn't think of it like that."

"I know." Muriel turned away again, with a note of finality in the motion. Thomas assumed the conversation was over, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the tree his back was to.

A few minutes later, Portia and Julian returned. "There's absolutely nothing standing between us and that castle," Julian said, his voice doubtful. "This is too easy. I can't be the only one who thinks this is too easy."

At that, Thomas stood. The others quickly followed suit. "But it makes sense," he said. "This is the Devil's realm, and the Devil's power is bound. He can't stop us if he was even aware that we're here, and Vulgora and Valdemar are mere mortals now. But knowing that there's nothing standing between us and the castle..." Thomas took a deep breath. "Is everyone ready to go? I want to end this as quickly as we can." Everyone exchanged looks, all nodding, and Nadia nodded a second time. Raising a hand, she plucked a sword out of the air and strode forward. "Allow me to lead us. Thomas, Muriel, you take up the rear. We'll clear the path for you when we reach Asra."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Salim said, and the group started off, heading towards the castle. Thomas fought down a feeling of dread. He believed that the lack of obstacles was because the Devil was dormant. He had spoken the truth when he reassured them. But he couldn't dislodge the feeling that something was going to go desperately, profoundly wrong. 


	13. Chapter 13

The castle loomed ominously before them, the odd colors around them making it seem almost threatening. 

Thomas suppressed a shudder, glancing around them. It had taken him until a mere five minutes ago to realize that the realm was deathly silent. There was no noise or movement but for them. It felt dead. Was this because the Devil was bound and helpless?

Whatever it was, it was creepy. Thomas hadn’t pointed it out, not wanting to spread his discomfort to his companions if they hadn’t noticed. Instead he took quick stock of them, noting that they were all pale in the strange light, but determined. Satisfied that they were ready, he pushed the gate open and strode in, his companions trailing behind him. 

They traversed the castle in silence for a number of minutes before Julian spoke up. “You, uh, you don’t seem to be taking any particular path.”

“I’m not.”

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

Thomas sighed, keeping his focus on the path before him. “That was three years ago, and I dropped into an illusion of Lucio’s room and wing. We didn’t come in through the front gate. I’ve never seen this before.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Julian,” Nadia said, in a mildly threatening tone, silencing him. 

“Don’t worry,” Thomas said, worried beyond belief. “I can sense him. We’re going in the right direction.”

“I’m not doubting you,” Portia said, and there was more curiosity in her voice than anything else, “but how do you know Valdemar isn’t interfering with you? How exactly are you sensing him?”

“When he brought me back to life, he gave me half of his heart. We share his very soul. Valdemar can’t interfere with that.”

“Are you sure?” Julian asked, doubt in his voice.

Thomas hesitated to answer. Now that it had been questioned, he _wasn’t_ sure. It was Salim who answered. “Unless Valdemar has compromised Asra’s soul somehow, we’re sure- and I am positive that Thomas would know if they’d done something like that.”

“He would,” Muriel agreed. “It wouldn’t be subtle, either.”

“We shall take your word for it,” Nadia answered.

Silence descended once more. Thomas kept his attention on Asra’s presence, a bright beacon in the darkness. They never encountered the illusions that had plagued him when he was there three years ago. The longer they went without any trickery of any kind, the more sure Thomas was that it was because the Devil was trapped. He carefully kept his mind off what would happen if the Devil was freed. 

At that thought, though, he started thinking about it. What would happen if he had to free the Devil to rescue Asra? The courtiers would be a threat, but they were still mere mortals; and they would remain so until the Devil reestablished his deals with them. The Devil would want to eliminate Thomas and his companions first, so if that was the only way to do it, sealing the Devil again had to take precedence. He slowed his pace to address his friends. “We need to talk about what we’ll do if I’m forced to free the Devil to get Asra back. Do _not_ tell me to let him die. That’s not happening.”

“None of us think that’s an option,” Aisha said, “but you’re right. Asra is in grave danger, especially with his physical body here. Protecting him must take precedence, regardless of what happens, but especially if you must free the Devil.”

“Can’t he just pretend to do it?” Julian asked. “Is that something he can do?”

Thomas suppressed a sigh. “I need to know how I’m doing it to begin with to try and trick them into thinking I’m doing it when I’m not. The fact of the matter is that I don’t know how to do it. I’m going to be working blind if it comes down to it. If I can think fast enough, I may be able to stall it and give you time to free Asra yourselves. I don’t want to count on that, though.”

“You should still try to stall it,” Aisha said firmly. “If we can’t get Asra away from them then chances are, we won’t be able to get close enough to them to free him. But they may let their guard down if they think victory is imminent.”

“We need to try to free him before things get to that point,” Muriel said.

“Of course,” Nadia said. “What we do will depend on the position Asra is in. Best case scenario is that he’ll be restrained some distance from the courtiers. Getting to him in such circumstances will be a simple thing: you and Thomas go to him while the rest of us distract Vulgora and Valdemar.”

“And if they’ve got him with them?” Portia prompted.

Nadia’s voice was grave. “Then I’m afraid our only choice will be for Thomas free the Devil- or pretend for long enough that they drop their guard. But Thomas- only stall as long as they will tolerate it. If they threaten to harm him, do it.”

Thomas murmured an agreement and refocused on Asra. The closer they got, the clearer Thomas could sense Asra’s emotions. He was terrified, but beneath the noise his fear caused, Thomas felt something else. “He knows we’re here and that I’m tracking him,” Thomas announced as they came to a junction. “He really, really wants us to leave.”

They all looked at each other. “I’m sure he does,” Muriel said. “Can you... talk to him? Tell him we’re coming?”

“I can’t- I can’t actually talk to him, no. I am communicating with feelings as much as I can that we’re not leaving without him.”

“That’s the best you can do,” Salim said, looking up and down the corridors. “Which way?”

Thomas closed his eyes, concentrating, then, “This way.”

The group resumed walking, coming to a great arch in the hallway. Thomas led them through it, and suddenly they weren’t in the hallway anymore. There were rows and rows of iron gates, each leading to an elevator. “I remember this,” Thomas murmured. “We’re almost there.”

“Do you remember which gate is the right one?” Julian asked. 

“I don’t, but it was easy to find it.” Thomas went to one and ran his fingers over the bars, then moved onto the next one, and the next. Portia asked if they could help, and Thomas simply shook his head, focused on his task. 

Finally, as his fingers curled around the bars of one of the elevators, it felt more solid, more real that the ones he’d felt before, and tugged the gate open. “This one,” Thomas said, “but we’re not all going to fit in at once. I’ll go down with Muriel, and you all follow as quickly as you can. I don’t know how much time we’ll have once the courtiers know we’re there, if Asra hasn’t given us away somehow already.”

The others nodded, and Thomas And Muriel crowded into the elevator and pulled the lever. The elevator groaned to motion, lowering them quickly. Much to Thomas’s relief, the shrieks and screams that had plagued him and Asra the first time they were there were silent.

The pair stepped out of the elevator and Muriel sent it clanging back up. The Devil’s throne room spread out before them. The Devil stood before his throne, an unmoving statue, just as they’d left him three years ago. Thomas’s gaze was pulled to the three living figures on the dais. Valdemar stood to one side, while Vulgora held Asra, sharp claw tips poised over Asra’s throat under his jaw. Thomas hissed under his breath, meeting Asra's gaze. "Just go," Asra said in a strained voice. "I'll be-"

His voice cut off in a wince as Vulgora dug their claw into his throat, drawing blood. "Stop!" Thomas cried, then calmer: "Stop. I- I'll do what you want. Just don't hurt him. Please."

"Thomas, no-" Asra gasped, and again, his words cut off, this time because Vulgora closed their hand over his throat. 

"You heard the man," Valdemar said, _tsk'_ ing. "Don't hurt him. If you do, things will get messy." Valdemar stepped aside. "Not that us not hurting him will do you much good, once the Devil is free. I'm sure he'll want to take his vengance on you for doing this to him in the first place."

Thomas took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "I know you can't guarantee that he'll listen, but I want you to guarantee you'll try to talk the Devil out of hurting us, too."

"Vulgora, kill h-"

"No!" Thomas all but sobbed the word. "No- no, fine. You win." 

Someone reached out and squeezed Thomas's shoulder. He wasn't sure who it was. But he shook them off and walked at a dirge's pace to the statue of the Devil, keeping his eyes on it, not daring to meet Asra's gaze. He heard Asra whisper his name as he got close, and shut him out. They needed him to stall, but he wasn't sure how. He took a deep breath, and then gingerly reached out to the statue with his magic. He could see the chains criss-crossing the Devil's body, holding him still. His magic thrummed in him, reacting to the chains, and he looked away, at Valdemar, wondering if they could see the chains as well, now that it was interacting with his magic. "Don't tell me you don't know how to do it," Valdemar said flatly.

"I- I don't, actually. I had Asra's help to bind him, and-"

Valdemar chuckled, shooting Asra a look. "Well, I doubt he will help you with this, even if we were to release him. Better figure it out quickly, if you want a few moments with him before you die."

Thomas turned and looked back at his friends. Muriel had taken a few steps closer, but no one else had moved. Nadia's sword hung uselessly in her hand, frustration written on her face. They couldn't figure out how to get to him, how to save them. 

Asra hissed quietly as Vulgora’s fingers flexed around his throat. Thomas chanced a glance at him; his eyes were squeezed shut, jaw clenched, every muscle in his body tense. Thomas could sense that Asra knew what he had to do if he wanted to save Asra. He could hear Asra in his head, telling him not to do it, that if he did they were going to die anyway. 

But Thomas couldn’t let Asra die. If that was the consequence of doing this, then so be it, but while they lived, there was hope. “You’re running out of time, little magician.” Valdemar’s voice was soft and full of deeply unpleasant promise. Thomas glared at them, and Valdemar stared back, unblinking and grinning unsettlingly. He suppressed a shudder and turned back to the statue, following his intuition. He reached out and touched the chains wrapped around the statue, letting his magic flow through his fingers and into the chains. 

They glowed, softly at first, gaining luminosity as he let his magic flow into the chains. Then one of the links cracked. The cracks spiderwebbed from one to the ones next to it, finally shattering in a bright light. Thomas threw up his hands instinctively, stumbling away as the sound of the chains shattering reverberated through the chamber.

A shockwave of magic swept over him, knocking him backwards. He lost his footing and fell back on his rear with an unrefined _thud_ and sat there for several seconds, blinking stars out of his vision. When he could see again, his stomach dropped, sheer panic taking him over. The Devil stared back at him, blinking slowly. 

He seemed to be at a loss for words, confused, even. His gaze flicked from Thomas, on the floor, to Asra, Vulgora, and Valdemar. “Interesting,” he said, his eyes glinting in the strange light- light that was slowly righting itself. “I assume I have the Fool to thank for freeing me.”

“You can thank us!” Vulgora said enthusiastically. “We’ve worked so hard to free you- we wish to renew our deals with you!”

“Eager, are you? Where are Volta and Vlastomil?”

“Volta turned on us,” Valdemar said, their voice matter-of-face, “and Vlastomil was a liability. We’ve fought long and hard to get to this point.”

“I can only imagine,” the Devil replied, turning his gaze back to Thomas. “We can discuss this further later. For now, there is a small matter I wish to address with Thomas and Asra.”

Vulgora shoved Asra away from them, and Asra stumbled to Thomas, hands shaking. “I’m sorry- I’m so sorry-“ Thomas sobbed. 

“It’s not your fault. It’s- it’s not your fault-“

The Devil _tsk_ ’ed at them. “How touching. Now tell me-“ Thomas felt the Devil’s power surge- “what do you feel is a suitable punishment for what you did to me.”

Thomas and Asra scrambled to their feet. Nadia and the others rushed forward. The Devil’s eyes glinted in amusement. “You all wish to die, too? Very well. You can be accommodated!”

With that, the Devil flicked a clawed hand at them, and black flames shot from him, engulfing everything. Thomas remembered the heat and pain from the first time they were there, held his breath to wait it out. 

And then fear and horror shocked through him as Asra began to scream. 


	14. Chapter 14

Asra screamed.

Thomas turned to him, horrified. He had forgotten Asra's body was here! Desperately, Thomas blocked the fire with his own body, throwing up a shield around them. Asra sagged against him, his breath harsh in Thomas's ear as he eased them to the ground. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Thomas sobbed, checking Asra over for burns. 

Much to Thomas's surprise, Asra was minimally hurt. A welt was raised over his cheek under his eye, and his arms were burned, but he seemed to be mostly unhurt. "I'm fine," Asra choked out, as the fire around them stuttered out. "I shielded myself." There was pain in every syllable Asra spoke, and Thomas blanketed Asra in his magic as Julian went to the floor beside them.

"These burns are going to scar," he declared, turning one of Asra's arms over in his hands. 

"You all survived that? Interesting." The Devil stroked his chin with a clawed hand. "Perhaps I should simply let my _collegues_ do the deed. Vulgora, Valdemar. You know what to do."

Thomas jumped to his feet and focused his magic as the former courtiers advanced on them. Bright blue flames erupted around them, shielding them from the courtiers and the Devil. "You're outnumbered!" Thomas snarled, as Muriel took his place next to Asra. Aisha and Salim joined their magic with Thomas's, making the circle of fire burn brighter and higher. The courtiers stumbled backwards, hissing in outrage. Then he turned his attention to the Devil. He had to do something, and fast. "I want to make a deal with you," he said, thinking as hard and fast as he could, a desperate plan taking form. 

"Thomas, no!" Portia cried.

"It'll be alright," Thomas said softly. "Well? Will you hear me?"

The Devil peered at him. "I am intrigued. What deal could you possibly offer me that I'd be interested in?"

"You know I'm the Fool, of course."

"Of course."

He steeled himself. "I will give you myself- my power- in exchange for letting them go."

The others reacted immediately and extremely. Thomas focused on Asra's voice, gasping frantically, "No! No, Thomas, you can't, you _can't_ -"

"It'll be alright, Asra."

"Don't leave me!" he cried.

Thomas closed his eyes, fighting tears. "It'll be alright, Asra," he repeated. He couldn't do anything else. He couldn't _say_ anything else, or the Devil would know he was planning to stab him in the back. "Well?" Thomas prompted softly. "Do we have a deal?"

“Interesting.” The Devil grinned. “We have a deal. Let the others leave,” he ordered Vulgora and Valdemar. They both protested, and the Devil _tsk_ ’ed at them. “Both of you can be replaced, I promise you. Do as I say. Let the others leave, and escort the Fool to me.”

Thomas let the shield of fire die down, and they each grabbed an arm. Thomas shook them off. “I can go myself,” he snapped, stepping away from Asra and the others. “Trust me,” he said over his shoulder. “I love you, Asra.”

“I-“ Asra choked. “Don’t do this, Thomas, _please-_ “

“It’ll be alright. Trust me.”

As Muriel and Aisha helped Asra to his feet, Thomas turned from them fully, his heart racing. He wondered if Asra could feel his fear, if Asra could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. One step, two, three, a deep breath, and Thomas ran at the Devil, drawing on every bit of magic he had, calling up the power he had used to free the Devil. The Devil watched wide-eyed as Thomas ran up to the dais, drew a hand back, and plunged it into the Devil’s chest.

The Devil’s claws wrapped around Thomas’s wrist, struggling to pull Thomas’s hand out of him, but Thomas held on, fingers searching, searching. He could hear the Fool whispering to him, guiding him. Magic flared all around them, bolts of red and black lightning striking the dais and walls with thunderous booms.

Thomas screamed as the Devil’s magic filled him, ripping through him. He thought he heard Asra’s voice calling his name, cutting through the agony and terror. He felt Asra’s hand on his shoulder, heard his voice at his ear, strained with pain: “Let go! This is killing you! This isn’t going to work! Thomas! _Thomas!_ ”

Asra wrapped his fingers around Thomas’s wrist and pulled. Thomas marveled at how strong Asra was- he didn’t think Asra was that strong- as his mind clouded with pain, so much power flowing through him he couldn’t believe he was containing it all. A second set of hands came to rest on his back, familiar yet foreign magic flowing into him, helping to fight back the Devil’s invading magic. A third rested on his free arm, pulling him away, prying him out of death’s embrace. Realizing that Asra was right, he couldn’t hold the power flowing into him from the Devil, Thomas released his magic, pulling away. The Devil gave him a sickly, unpleasant grin and snatched his wrist again, holding him still. Asra snarled and stretched out a hand, putting his palm in the Devil's face and shoving his magic through. It exploded inches from the Devil's face, and he recoiled, releasing Thomas to grasp at his eyes and cheeks. 

Thomas tumbled backwards into Muriel's arms, Asra and Nadia stumbling backwards as well. Muriel dragged all three of them back several feet while the Devil recovered from Asra's attack. "We have to go!" Muriel said frantically, looking around. Thomas followed his gaze around the room, seeing Aisha, Salim, Portia and Julian fanned out; Julian was checking on Valdemar, lying motionless on the floor mere feet away from Vulgora, also prone. 

The Devil snarled and flung out a hand; black chains answered his call, climbing the walls of the elevator and closing it off. "I don't think running is an option," Julian said, eyes wide as he stood. "What now? What- what was Thomas trying to do?"

"I think Thomas was trying to kill him," Asra answered, his voice low and frantic and pained. "Thomas?"

"I was- I thought I could- if I could eliminate him-"

"If you eliminated him, his entire realm would crumble around us!" Aisha protested. "What were you _thinking-_ "

"The realm needs an Arcana," Thomas retorted. "I'm already halfway there. If I could eliminate him, I could take his-"

"Thomas, _no_." Asra's voice left no room for argument. "You'd bind yourself to the realm. I'm not letting you do that!"

"Even if it's my own choice?"

"There's no point to arguing about it!" Portia yelled, as the Devil's magic flared to life again. "It didn't work!" She and Salim threw up a shield around them as the Devil's black flames engulfed them once more. "What now?!"

"Now, we bind him again." Asra's breath was harsh, his face lined with pain. "How much did that take out of you, Thomas? Do you remember what we did last time? Do you have enough magic to do that again?"

"I- I don't know- I don't think-"

"Then we'll make up for the power you don't have anymore." Salim reached out and took Asra's hand, as Asra took Thomas's. On his other side, Julian took his other hand, and Portia grabbed Julian's; Aisha and Muriel linked up on Salim's side, while Nadia took Portia's. "We can do this," Salim said, "but we need to drop the shield to do it. Asra, can you tolerate the flames?"

"Don't worry about me." Asra's voice was strained, already weaving the spell they'd used to bind the Devil before. "We need to do this."

Salim took a deep, shuddering breath, and Thomas felt him and Portia drop their shield. The heat and smoke assaulted them, and Asra's grip on Thomas's hand tightened painfully as he gritted his teeth against the agony of it. Thomas let his magic flow into Asra, and the Devil laughed. "You think that's going to work for you again?"

The Devil's chains lashed out at them, seeking to wrap around their limbs. Thomas heard the gasps and cries from the group as the chains found purchase, and Thomas drew Julian's magic into his own. On his other side, he felt Asra channeling his father's magic, and Thomas and Asra worked together, quickly building another shield, this time comprised of all of their magics. The shield expanded and grew, flickering through all of the colors of the rainbow, driving the chains back, forcing them back to the Devil. The Devil's face twisted in fury, throwing pure darkness at them. "I will not be beaten again!" he raged.

The Devil's darkness collided with their light, flaring bright as they strained against it. For a moment, Thomas didn't think they'd be able to fight it back, and the Devil's snarl turned to a vicious, victorious grin. Thomas took a deep breath, two, three, and reached down inside of himself, drawing on the power that he'd called on minutes ago, the power that wasn't enough to kill the Devil. But, he realized as he threaded it through their shield, it might be enough to bind him again. The power coursing through him was immense, and he shook with the effort of containing it all. Asra's fingers twitched over his, his breath harsh and laborious, and Thomas knew then that there was no other option. He _had_ to contain it. He _had_ to force this darkness back, if for no one else's sake, then for Asra's.

The shield dimmed as Thomas drew it all back, drawing it into himself, wrapping his power, the Fool's power, around it, until it barely covered them. "Thomas, what are you doing?!" Muriel protested.

"Trust him!" Asra called back, his voice shaking. No one dared say anything else as Thomas let the darkness surround them, as the Devil's voice rang out in victory.

And then Thomas let it go again, unleashing it all in one massive strike. The darkness retreated with a shriek, the chains and flames snapping back at the Devil. The Devil screamed in fear and fury as their combined auras filled the massive chamber, beautiful and bright and blinding. 

The Devil's voice faded to an echo as the light died, and Thomas blinked spots out of his vision as Asra went to his knees beside him. Thomas was on his knees as well in the next second, and Aisha, Salim, and Julian surrounded them. "And _stay down!_ " Portia snapped, laughing in disbelief. "I can't believe we did it!"

Asra's head lulled onto Thomas's shoulder, and Julian patted him on the back. "He's alright, just exhausted. Does anyone else need to be looked at?" 

"No, I don't think so," Nadia said, coming to rest a hand on Asra and Thomas's shoulders. She stood there for a moment, then squeezed them and released them, standing up straight again, looking to the Devil. He was stone once again, frozen in an expression of horror and fear. She approached the statue, eyes narrowed. "He looks a good deal more distressed than he was when we arrived. Good." She huffed. "Salim, Aisha. Restrain Vulgora and Valdemar. We will need to come up with a better way of holding them to ensure they can never do this again, but our first concern is getting them back in jail and Asra home and resting." She turned her attention to Thomas. "You did well, Thomas. I am proud of you- and I'm sure if Asra were conscious, he'd agree with me."

Thomas's face colored, and he turned his attention to Asra. "Muriel," Thomas called, "Can you carry him home?"

Muriel lumbered over, bending to scoop Asra gently into his arms. "Gladly. Let's go home."

* * *

Asra whistled a merry tune as he walked. He didn't feel nearly as cheerful as he let on, but it was getting easier. He'd been able to fake happiness until he found it once, and he'd be able to do it again. He didn't _always_ fake a smile; he and Thomas frequently let the masks slip with each other as they healed and recovered from their ordeal, helping each other cope when the memories and nightmares were too much to cope with alone. 

But even though he wasn't quite as happy as he was showing the world, he _was_ happy in that moment. He was going to see Thomas at Julian's clinic. His burns had scarred, as Julian predicted, and they weren't quite healed yet, but they were healed enough that Thomas had taken over their care. And besides, he wanted to bring Thomas lunch.

Thomas was sitting at the reception desk, feet propped up on top, when Asra entered. Thomas startled and jerked upright, then relaxed when he saw who it was. Asra gave a _tsk_ as Thomas rose to embrace him. "Is that the image Ilya wants you to project for his clinic?"

Thomas kissed him, smiling. "What Julian doesn't know won't hurt me. Why are you here? Are your burns bothering you?"

"Not particularly. They ache a little but that's not why I came by." He lifted the basket, waggling his eyebrows as Thomas laughed. "Have you eaten anything at all today, doctor?"

"That's _apprentice_ to you, and I'm fine. You know I don't like breakfast."

"Shall I tell Ilya that you're _still_ not eating breakfast?"

Thomas made a face. "Threatening me will get you nowhere, magician."

Asra let out a puff of laughter. "Eat lunch with me. Please."

"Since you asked nicely." Thomas smiled and gestured for Asra to pull up the seat on the side of the reception area up to the desk. Asra did so, and set the basket on the floor, pulling out the food he packed for their lunch.

Thomas tucked into his sandwich eagerly, and Asra laughed. "Looks like you're hungrier than you're letting on."

"You just make good sandwiches," Thomas retorted. "How are things at the shop?"

"I've had a few customers. One of them I sent your way instead. Did she ever come here?" Thomas shook his head, and Asra sighed. "She was in a bad way, in a lot of pain. I sold her a starlight herb salve but I told her to come get checked out here as well. It's disappointing that she didn't listen to me. I'm worried that there is something really wrong that a magical salve can't fix."

"You did your due diligence," Thomas replied, although he sounded worried. "It's not your fault if she didn't listen to your advice. Hopefully you're wrong and she just needed a little bit of a push to get better."

Asra made a non-committal noise, chewing thoughtfully on his sandwich and swallowing before saying, "I've been thinking... I think it would do us some good to go to the Magician's realm." As Thomas went pale, Asra said quickly, "Just listen. We know we'll be safe. The courtiers are locked up, and the magic users are chained with runes that suppress their magic. They're not getting out. We haven't been back to the realms since- since." He took a shuddering breath. "It might help us get back a sense of safety, if we do this."

Thomas shook his head. "I won't stop you from going if you want to, but I- I'm not ready for that kind of step. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Asra sighed. "Maybe you're right. I don't want to go without you."

"Please don't do that."

"I mean it." He gave a flustered laugh. "As much as I don't want to push you to do something you don't want to do, I don't want to go without someone to watch my back. Watch each other's backs. We can wait until you're ready." 

Thomas shifted uncomfortably. "If you're ready to go back, maybe you could ask Nadia to go with you to the High Priestess's realm. We never did that with her, after all. If you tell her you're ready to go back with someone there to help you if you get into trouble, I'm sure she'll agree."

"Maybe." He sighed, and took a sip of his drink. "I got pumpkin bread," he said, changing the subject.

"Oh, yum." Thomas dropped his sandwich and went rooting around the basket. He gave a trill of victory as he found the bread, pulling it from the basket and holding it up like a trophy. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"This morning, but I never get tired of hearing it," Asra replied with a soft smile.

"Well, I love you."

"I love you too. So, so much." He leaned over to give him a peck on the lips, and sat back to finish his sandwich. Things would never be the same again, but maybe, just maybe, they'd eventually be alright.


End file.
